Southeast APC to Contest Peter Obi’s Viability for 2023 Elections
- The APC in the southeast say they are heading to court to challenge the validity of some Labour Party candidates in the 2023 elections
- Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, the zonal chairman of the party, said some candidates breached INEC's guidelines through their emergence
- He stated that the APC is already preparing to approach the election tribunals across the southeast to argue its case
FCT, Abuja - The All Progressives Congress (APC), southeast zone, has resolved to contest the viability of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi and some other candidates who vied for positions under the party’s platform.
This was made known to journalists, including a Legit.ng reporter, in a press conference called by the national vice chairman, southeast APC, Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu.
Source: Facebook
Arodiogbu stated that the party was, first of all, celebrating the resounding victory recorded at the presidential level, which saw its candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emerge as president-elect.
He, however, lamented the party’s poor performance in the southeast, stating that the party could have done better.
PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to Digital Talk newsletter to receive must-know business stories and succeed BIG!
While appreciating the outcome, the APC zonal chairman pointed out that a number of the LP candidates should not have been on the ballot, using several guidelines and processes of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as criteria.
He also alleged that several candidates who had vied in the last National Assembly elections under LP were not party members at least 30 days before the primary elections.
His words:
“Looking at the INEC processes and guidelines that ought to have been followed during the primaries, we discovered some loopholes where those who became flag bearers cannot provide adequate proof of party membership as at thirty days to the primary.
“This affects the likes of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and other candidates flying the Labour Party flag in states like Abia, Imo, Enugu and even Lagos.
“Also, we witnessed a situation where some Labour Party candidates had failed or lost in their former parties and had sought tickets in the Labour Party having double nominations from members of two or more parties.
“This automatically makes votes gotten by these candidates null and void or wasted votes.”
Arodiogbu stated that while they were not expecting perfection from INEC, the electoral commission had a duty to deepen democracy through its actions.
Presidential election: Tinubu’s victory is the will of God - Arodiogbu
Arodiogbu had earlier described Tinubu’s victory as similar to the title of one of the literary works of Nigeria’s Noble Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka’s “The Lion and the Jewel.”
He said Tinubu’s victory reflected the choice of Nigerians who put aside the frames of religion, ethnicity and regionalism for competence, experience and performance.
He also described Tinubu, and the APC’s victory as a referendum on the party’s eight-year power stay, confirming that the ruling party had done well and much deserved another term.
Southeast needs partnership, cooperation to clinch presidency
On his part, David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi state, said the words of his Anambra counterpart, Chukwuma Soludo, concerning Obi’s presidential election have come to pass.
Soludo had, in an open letter, predicted that Obi would lose the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking on Monday, March 6, Umahi said that even as the Labour Party candidate did well in the polls, the southeast needs to work with other geopolitical zones to win the country’s number one job.
Source: Legit.ng
