Primary elections for the Anambra APC governorship elections in November 2021 did not take place in almost all the wards in the state, this newspaper can report.
Elendu Reports investigations show that while APC members gathered at the ward polling units on Saturday, June 26, there were no APC officials to conduct the elections.
The Dapo Biodun led Primary Committee set up by APC national secretariat on arrival in South East on Friday, 25th, spent more than six hours in Owerri, capital of Imo state, with Hope Uzodinma, the governor.
Primary contestants, thirteen of them including Sen. Andy Ubah, George Moghalu, Azuka Okwuosa were waiting at the APC secretariat in Awka, Anambra state for a meeting with the National Committee which had been scheduled for 10 am.
The meeting started late evening Friday. The chairman of the committee and governor of Ogun state assured the aspirants of the desire of his committee to organise a free and fair primary election.
While the National Committee were in Owerri with Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo state and leader of APC in the South East, some aspirants and their supporters expressed dismay that given the reputation and indeed antecedents of the governor when it comes to elections, the committee would choose to be chaperoned by him.
Some aspirants were not only suspicious but also ambivalent and told Elendureports that they could not trust Gov. Uzodinma on elections given that “he won his elections at the Supreme Court in a manner that was not transparent.”
According to many aspirants and stakeholders who spoke to our reporters in Anambra state, the non-election in the Anambra primaries must have been engineered to favour a particular candidate supposedly favoured by the powers-that-be in Abuja.
The suspected favoured candidate is a major political player and former member of the National Assembly.
“These people should know Anambra is not like any other state in Nigeria. If they succeed in rigging this election I can assure you that APC will lose Anambra state. And this is a low hanging fruit we could have picked off,” fumed an aspirant who spoke to Elendureports on the condition of anonymity.
Just as we were about to go to press, Elendureports was informed that the Anambra APC primaries will be conducted on Sunday, June 27, 2021, because of the late arrival and distribution of materials. We are yet to confirm this report.