Less than twenty-four hours before the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary election in Anambra State, there have been sustained protests by some members of the party over the alleged doctoring of the delegate list for the exercise.
It would be recalled that about three weeks ago, the conduct of the ward delegate congress ended in confusion, as the Committee charged with overseeing the election could not make public the list of elected delegates for the main primary election.
To further complicate matters, members of the seven-member primary election committee, led by Bassey Otu, could not be found in Awka, the State capital.
There are fears that although the Committee members may have arrived in Anambra State, their whereabouts remain unknown.
When New Telegraph contacted one of the committee members, Ada Ogbu, she did not pick up the phone.
Reporters in Anambra State have been on the lookout for the committee, which is expected to address the media on the guidelines and modalities for the primary election, information that has not even been made available to party members.
It was gathered that at a meeting in Abuja attended by twenty-seven persons, twenty-five voted for a delegate primary election, contrary to the demand by most aspirants for a direct primary election, a development that was allegedly sponsored by a leading aspirant.
Confirming the doctoring of the delegate list, the Zonal Publicity Secretary for Anambra Central District, Arinze Igboeli, described the incident as not only criminal but also a plot to worsen the party’s predicament with the inclusion of “strange members.”
“This list is not merely flawed; it is an aberration, a deliberate mockery of the sacred tenets that should govern intra-party democracy.
“What we see before us is the systematic exclusion of dedicated, long-standing party faithful men and women who have weathered storms and stood firm through challenging political seasons only to be replaced by political tourists, mere Lilliputians borrowed from Edozie Njoku’s faction of APGA.”
“What makes this situation particularly tragic is its predictable outcome. With such blatant disregard for internal democracy and such cavalier treatment of loyal party members, the APC is charting a course toward inevitable defeat.
“Governor Soludo’s APGA stands on the sidelines, watching with barely concealed satisfaction as the APC self-destructs through internal contradictions.”
“The delegate list, as currently constituted, represents everything that is wrong with our political system, the triumph of manipulation over merit, the victory of connection over contribution, and the dominance of cash over character.
“It is a document that tells dedicated party members that their years of loyalty count for nothing, that their sweat and sacrifices are worthless in the face of political expediency.
“This is not just about a list; it’s about respect, recognition, and reward for commitment. It’s about acknowledging that a political party is not the private property of its temporary leadership but a collective heritage of all its members.
“When leaders forget this fundamental truth, they transform from stewards to saboteurs.
“The implications extend beyond internal party dynamics. An APC fractured by leadership betrayal, divided by legitimate grievances, and weakened by the exodus of committed members presents no serious challenge to the incumbent APGA administration.
“Governor Soludo could not have asked for a better gift than this self-inflicted wound on his main opposition.
“As the party approaches crucial internal processes and eventual electoral contests, the chickens will inevitably come home to roost.
“The artificial unity enforced through exclusion and marginalization will crumble in the face of electoral challenges.
“The borrowed supporters from APGA will return to their original political home, leaving the APC leadership to confront the consequences of their myopic decisions.
“For the excluded party faithful, this moment represents not an end but a clarification. It brings into sharp relief the character of those who claim to lead them and provides an opportunity to reassess their political alignments. In politics, as in life, betrayal often precedes transformation,” he said.
