Tunji Adedeji
Dr .Charles Ugomuah ,an Inspector General of Police, Rtd and leading aspirant for Owerri Senatorial seat under the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo state, has described the APGA primary to elect a candidate for Owerri Senatorial district as a shame ,nothing that the exercise will continue to generate controversy until justice is served.
AIG Ugomuoh , who made this known in Owerri on Wednesday, rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging that Senator Ifeanyi Araraume scuttled his candidacy and that of other National Assembly contestants immediately he was pronounced the Governorship Candidate of APGA.
He called on the National Secretariat of the party to address the injustice, rape on Democratic process by taking immediate steps to right this wrong and return APGA in Imo state.
There had been outcries by some aspirants shortly before the primaries commenced as they alleged that the leadership of the party had shown preference for Senator Ifeanyi Araraume , alleging that the exercise had been skewed in his favour.
The visibly angry former police boss said the emergence of Maj. Gen John Gbor as the Presidential Candidate and Chief Jerry Chukwueke as the Vice presidential candidate of APGA through credible convention and overwhelming voice votes show that APGA could have avoided the controversy attending the governorship and National Assembly Primaries in Imo State.
He pointed out that the announcement of Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as the Governorship Candidate of APGA and the list of National Assembly candidates published by APGA has thrown the party into avoidable confusion.
According to him, “This is because the exercise was a sham and the purported list of delegates were unknown to the entire members of the party in the state as they were fictitious and never displayed”
“Since the purported primaries that produced the governorship candidates and the National Assembly candidates was a shame, no credible candidate for these positions can emerge therefore because you cannot bold something on nothing. ”
He said, “The process jeopardized APGA’s internal democracy because those whose names have been listed do not represent the people’s choice nor are the true candidates of our great party APGA”
Its worst still that after Senator Ifeanyi Araraume was pronounced the Governorship Candidate ,he went to the National Secretary of our party and vexatiously scuttled the candidates of the other National Assembly contestants ,changed their names with his preferred candidates.
“Even as I sue for peace and dialogue within our party in the face of this provocation, I urge the leadership of the party to insist on addressing this injustice, rape on our Democratic process by taking immediate steps to right this wrong and return APGA in Imo State as a party to be trusted”.
