Orlu people predict doom for PDP in Imo 2015 Election ■ Demand cancellation of Imo governorship primary. An influential political organization in Imo State, the Orlu Political Consultative Assembly (OPOCA) has called for the immediate cancellation of last Monday’s PDP gubernatorial primaries in the state which it described as a charade. The primaries lacked iota of credibility. The group warned that if not cancelled, the arrangement will herald doom for the party in the state, stressing that if the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party fails to heed its warning, the party should as well forget Imo as the body will ensure that no Orlu man votes for the PDP in the 2015 elections. OPOCA in a petition addressed to the National Chairman of PDP and signed by three of its national leaders, said the primary election was fraught with outright irregularities, fraud and brazen electoral corruption, warning that unless the aberration was reversed, the PDP should kiss Imo good bye in 2015. The warning by the group is coming even as the Secretary of the PDP in the state, Sir George Egu has said that the party has not filed the name of any candidate as its governorship candidate yet as a result of the crisis that followed the December 8 primary. The National President of OPOCA, Dr. Samfo Nwankwo, Deputy National President, Chief Rex Anunobi and the National Secretary, Hon. Eugene Dibiagwu who signed the petition said the group will do everything within its powers to ensure that Orlu people who constitute almost half of the State’s population will resist the electoral fraud with their votes. OPOCA said from all it had, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha did not win the primaries but was awarded 21 nonexistent votes by the electoral committee to make him the winner, an act the group declared as unacceptable and highly offensive. OPOCA noted that out of the 1017 votes cast, 11 were declared as void leaving a total of 1006 valid votes cast. It further noted that from the result declared, the 27 aspirants whose results were announced before that of Ihedioha scored a total of 681 votes, leaving the House of Reps deputy speaker with 325 votes as against the 346 announced by the Committee. “We want to make it absolutely clear that this high level electoral fraud and day light political robbery will not be allowed. The PDP NWC must cancel this primary election or kiss goodbye to Imo State in 2015”, the group said. It was also learnt that objection by the agents of some aspirants during counting such as Dr Vitalis Ajumbe, who was Dr Ikedi Ohakim’s agent, was not heeded. According to a party chieftain “the same caretaker party chairman unilaterally usurped the duties of the election panel and the returning officer for the election, an act which confirms that there was no election since the panel and the returning officer’s duties were hijacked. There was no result sheet for the Imo governorship primaries, or at least no result sheet was recorded in the presence of the agents of the various contesting aspirants, and no result sheet was presented to theses agents to sign, again, signifying that no election took place.” “Without any result sheets, without a figure stating the number of the accredited electors, and the fact that the duties of an election panel and that of the returning officer was hijacked by the caretaker chairman of the party proves that there was an exercise but the exercise does not meet the ordinary requirements of an election under the party’s constitution. So the exercise is not only inconclusive, but must be cancelled, and a fresh election conducted in accordance with the law”, the party chief added. Speaking to news men on the development at the party office along Okigwe road, Owerri, the PDP scribe, Egu carpeted the electoral panel which conducted the primaries for denting the image of Imo PDP, which has been commended through out the country following the peaceful conduct of other primaries, from the House of Assembly to the Senate. “I called the chairman, Chief Nnadi Anyaehie who has been in Abuja and he told me that Imo PDP has not filed a governorship candidate yet” Egu disclosed. He said the party is still waiting for the arrival of the electoral appeal panel to review the crises trailing the conduct of the election. Recall that one of the aspirants, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume had petitioned the party hierarchy alleging that the votes counted by the electoral body were more than the voters who cast the ballot, and therefore asked that he be announced the winner since he polled a clear 336 votes. The sun.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 08:15:38 +0000
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