It’s not yet Uhuru for those who claimed to have won primaries of APC and PDP in Imo State as the final lists of the successful candidates to be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by the parties is been awaited.
Even as the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, according to reports conducted what was considered free and fair primaries that saw emergence of winners without rancour, there are fears that names of the winners may be substituted at the national office before it is officially submitted.
The tensed situation is rife in the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, where the aspirants who picked forms for the intra party challenges didn’t experience a voting process for the winners to emerge other than alleged imposition of candidates and consensus arrangements.
Beyond what happened in Owerri and other parts of the state in the name of primaries, Trumpeta learnt that the struggle to become candidates of APC and PDP has moved to Abuja for final showdown.
Trumpeta was informed during the week that PDP members, especially those of camp who won the primaries are expressing fear of substitution. The suspicion gained momentum when reports filtered in that a figure at the National Working Committee, NWC, is likely to manipulate the process to favour his associates who failed during the primaries.
Since it is the job of the NWC committee, the tendency for names to be changed, according to suspicion is high. Trumpeta learnt that the winners of the PDP primaries conducted last week in Owerri are keeping in touch with agents in Abuja to ensure the outcome wasn’t tampered before submission to INEC.
That of APC is worse hit considering the manner it handled in Owerri. Trumpeta observed that apart from different names of acclaimed winners published by factions flying, no one is sure of the actual winners until INEC releases the final and authentic list.
Due to the manner it was conducted, non of the aspirants is sure of the actual winners the party would take to INEC. For instance, after reports from personal online post of some party members in Ohaji/Egbema APC chapter claimed Prince Golden Nwokoma won the primaries, latter results from the party officials indicated that Chief Christopher Uzoma Francis Osuoha rather won. A purported release from the party office in Abuja too has the name of Osuoha and not Nwokoma as the candidate.
Similar experience is being noticed in the list of APC where names of different winners are being paraded. This newspaper learnt that worried aspirants in APC and even those who were declared winners at the Owerri front are laying siege at the national Secretariat of the party to avoid losing out to late minute substitution before INEC publishes the official report.
