Ahead of the August 16th Anambra South Senatorial District bye election there is growing anxiety within the party following the order by Gov Charles Soludo that the six aspirants should go into conclave and present one of them as candidate of the party.
Deepening the anxiety further is the three options offered to both the party and the six aspirants for the nomination of it’s candidate.
The options given are: a consensus candidate nominated by the six aspirants, the second is that on the event of the aspirants failure to nominate one of them he should be allowed to chose a candidate among them or go into primary election.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting of the party in Ekwulobia Aguata Local Government Area which had in attendance political appointees , ward leaders and stakeholders Soludo noted that any aspirant that emerges as candidate of the party is as good as duly returned but was quick to advise that any aspirant that would not accept the eventual candidate of the party should leave the and meet him on the election day .
“I know that some people are gearing up for business during this primary election and it is not advisable for this to be a money thing so I urge the aspirants to go into conclave amongst them and nominate one person.
“Should that fails they should give me the powers to nominate who our candidate would be or we go for primary election.
“Whoever that emerges as candidate of the party would be binding on the party and if any of you would not accept the nomination he have to leave the party and then meet me on the election day because APGA would surely win this bye election,” he stated.
Reacting to the governor’s order state Chairman of APGA Barr Ifeatu Obi-Okoye described it as an advise to the party in a bid towards averting the logistics challenges in the conduct of primary election.
“Yes what Mr Governor is saying is like an advise to the party so that all those logistic challenges would be averted.”
Continuing Obi-Okoye however noted that in the event of conducting primary election the party is desirous to conduct a free fair and transparent primary election.
“Should we end up in primary election we as a political party would ensure internal democracy in our party by conducting a free fair and transparent as well as credible process and we assure party members that a level playing ground would be provided for all the aspirants to participate in the primary election if they fail to nominate one amongst themselves,” he said
However it is being feared that non of the six aspirants would step down for each other as they are insisting on going for the primary election.
A Chairman of the party from one of the local government areas (names withheld) told New Telegraph that the six aspirants would not present a candidate amongst them.
“It is not going to work and non of them will agree to step down for the other and they are insisting on primary election and that is the beauty of democracy.
“The governor might end up picking one of them as candidate of the party and those who would protest against it may face the wrath of the party ” he said.
