Corroborating the report, Hon. Obi called on the party to fix a new date for the election and ensure that it is conducted with authentic delegates’ lists.
Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Four Federal House of Representative aspirants for Orumba North and Orumba South Federal constituency, Anambra State under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have unanimously rejected the outcome of the party primary held on October 2 and called for a fresh one to be rescheduled.
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The aspirants, Hon. Romanus Obi, Chief Ernest Okafor, Winston Udeh and Captain Casmir Nwafor, made the appeal in a protest letter addressed to the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Oye, and copied to Governor Willie Obiano, Chief Norbert Obi, the Anambra State Chairman of the party, and the Chief of Staff to Governor Obiano, Primus Odili.
In the letter titled “Protest against the Botched Primary for Orumba North and South Federal Constituency Schedules for 2 October 2018 and Request for a new date,” the contestants alleged that the election did not hold due to an attempt to use doctored delegates’ lists by one of the aspirants, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo.
Addressing the media on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants, Captain Casmir Nwafor said the party faithful and the House of Representative aspirants were at the venue of the election at Ajalli, the headquarters of Orumba North, as at early as 8 a.m. but the party returning officer, Mr Raphael Nwike, drove in with Mr Emeka Aforka and Mr Joe Onwuchekwa around 3 p.m.
They alleged that it was when the delegates’ lists were been called in that they discovered some statutory delegates were changed to unknown names.
“Some of the wards where these illegalities occurred include Awgbu I, Awgbu II, Amaetiti ward, Amaokpala ward, Oko I, Oko II, Aw ward, Ndiowu ward, Ajalli ward I, Ndikelionwu and Ufuma ward II,” the petition claimed.
As a result, the four aspirants said they further enquired that the doctored ad-hoc lists were not duly signed, and they demanded for the process to be stalled while they go to Awka with the returning officer to confirm its authenticity.
They alleged that the returning officer and Ezenwankwo refused, leading to commotion at the election venue.
They further alleged that at around 8 p.m., when some delegates had left due to elections not being held, Ezenwankwo brought in some thugs and ballot boxes for the election to hold despite their previous appeal.
“This enraged some aspirants who went up to kick away the buckets and demand that the thugs go down as they were not part of the delegates in any ward in Orumba. In the ensuing conflagration, Chief Ezenwankwo and Mr Aforka ordered the thugs to deal ruthlessly with Hon. Romanus Obi, who was more vociferous in the protest. The thugs descended on Hon. Obi, beating him mercilessly and threw him down the staircase.”
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They said they later learnt that the election was still conducted in Aforka’s house, where Ezenwankwo was returned elected.
Corroborating the report, Hon. Obi, who currently represents Orumba North constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, called on the party to fix a new date for the election and ensure that it is conducted with authentic delegates’ lists.
Party Chairman Norbert Obi declined comment on the matter when contacted for a response.