From: Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
Ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of buying up voters’ card in the disguise of registering members of the party in order to rig the gubernatorial poll.
APGA had, through the state-owned radio and television houses warned the people of the state not to allow themselves to be tricked by any political party especially the APC.
APGA alleged that the Prty, which was presently registering members in the state, was asking people to submit their voters’ cards after registration.
But in a swift reaction, the APC denied the allegation by APGA, describing it as despicable and unhealthy for the democratic process.
Reacting on behalf of the five-man Anambra State APC Continuing Registration Committee, the Secretary, Mr. Ford Ozumba, said their mandate in the state was to register new members and revalidate the membership of the old members.
He said, “In the first instance we are not from Anambra state, our assignment is to register members. I just came in from Imo state yesterday, I went to register in my ward, people are registering everywhere, in Abia, in Ebonyi, in Enugu State and there is no place we have heard this type of insinuation being made, what are we going to do with it? We are not even here to conduct primaries; this exercise has nothing to do with the primaries. We are just here to make sure we register any person who is willing to be registered as an APC member.
“The provision in the registration form requires identification of the would-be members and one could identify himself or herself with either the national ID card, driving licence or the voters’ card. There is therefore no reason for us to buy the voters cards. We don’t even have money to buy people’s cards and this kind of rumour is not good for the development of democracy.
“This type of propaganda in Anambra is unnecessary, despicable, is anti development and hurts totally the image of development politics, it is rather very bad for them to say that.”
On the mode of registration, Ozumba defended the decision of the committee members to register some stakeholders in their homes rather than at the public square where the exercise was taking place, adding they are ready to register any figure that would mark up the party at any time of the day and any place he or she wants.
Describing the exercise as very successful, he noted that there was so much enthusiasm among the people of Anambra State to identify with APC hence the massive turn out which made them exhaust their booklets several times.