NewsProbe News from Nigeria and Around the world
Raymond Ozoji, Awka
Following a series of protests and peaceful demonstrations by various aspirants to register their dislike over the conduct of primary elections in their various domains, the leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is said to have embarked on the reversal of some certificates of return allegedly given in error.
This was the position of a member of the State Working Committee of APGA in Anambra and Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on Community Liaison, Owelle Godson Obi, while speaking with our correspondent at Parktonia hotel Awka on Monday.
He said the leadership of the party had taken cognisance of protests and agitations by some people who have expressed their discontentment over the conduct of primary elections in their various localities. He said some of the issues were already being addressed at the national headquarters of APGA, Abuja, stressing that he learnt that some people given certificates in error had been reversed.
The former Orumba-South council chairman noted that the leadership of APGA had to embark on the retrieval of certificates of return issued inadvertently so that it would calm frayed nerves as well as seek amicable resolutions of grievances as the party did not intend to lose its members to other political parties on account of perceived grievances and agitations.
According to him, the coast is clear for APGA to make inroads in 2019, describing the party as the only credible alternative for the entire nation following the abysmal performance of the incumbent APC-led federal government even as he admonished the party’s leadership to be mindful of internal democracy and unity of purpose.
Obi also disclosed that the leader of the party, Governor Willie Obiano, in concert with the National Working Committee of APGA were working assiduously to address issues arising from the conduct of the just concluded primary elections across the state so that both the losers and winners would see reasons to continue to remain in APGA and build the party.
He opined that the party’s leadership would not keep mute over issues arising from the conduct of the primary elections as leaders of the party were persons of impeccable characters whom he said have conscience and reputation to protect.
The governor’s aide equally alluded to information from the grapevine regarding imposition of candidates, saying that those were mere allegations as well as a calculated attempt to bring the leadership of APGA to disrepute even though he said the party was working on a holistic solution to assuage aggrieved party members.
He said APGA was doing well as a political party which was the remote reason people jostled for the party’s ticket, noting that there must be winners and losers in every electoral contest and that no matter the perspective one looked at it, the electoral process could never be entirely perfect but the bottom line was how the party’s leadership handled the grievances of individuals who felt they had been treated unjustly.
