candidates –INEC’ published on Page 10 of your esteemed newspaper and
promoted on the front-page in today’s edition ( March 21, 2017).
The Sun reported the Chairman of INEC Prof Mahmood Yakubu as having
said that PDP and APC ‘ are not eligible to field candidates to
contest the vacant Anambra Central Senatorial seat.’ Owing to what was
reported as Kogi State Principle’.
The Sun in the reference edition also quoted Prof. Yakubu as follows ‘
Our hope is that very soon , we shall resolve the issues and hold
election into Anambra Central (Senatorial) election.’
We agree with the Chairman and share his hope that issues in Anambra
Central can be resolved but vehemently disagree that APC will not
field a candidate in the election.
It is our fear that the Chairman of INEC may have been misquoted. But
if for any reason you have correctly quoted him, we affirm that
whenever the Anambra Senatorial Election is held, in whatever mode it
is held, and by whatever final interpretation the legal foundations
are erected, APC will not only field a candidate , but go ahead to win
and return the zone and Anambra State to the ruling caucus of the
Senaate.
This effectively makes us disagree with the interpretation of The Sun
point at the remote possibility of a candidate that can neither form a
caucus nor has the requisite integrity and brinksmanship to offer what
the senatorial zone and its geopolitical zone require at the moment
will emerge.
Senators in a one-man caucus in the Eighth Senate have since defected
to other parties. It is a lonely world of no leverage
We have seen these rounds of interpretation before and we dare say
that the possibility has become even more remote based on
on-the–ground issues.
We therefore make bold to say that what The Sun projects in the
reference report remains a remote misadventure that will not feature
in the political calculus of the Chief Emeka Anyaoku’s Senatorial
district.
We also know it for a fact that elections are serious businesses that
follow the rule of law, not principles under adjudication.
We once gain warn those who share this nightmare view and are
reaching conclusions too soon to tail off, in order to avoid
disappointing surprises, as APC will not fold its hands and allow
selfishness to triumph over the common good.
On the second broad statement by INEC Chairman signaling the
possibility of resolving the legal issues, around the senatorial
election to enable the election proceed, our party would be glad if
INEC’s approach can reduce the sum of forces in the six pending cases
into a consensus of ideas and would be the first to celebrate such
feat to enable the zone gain representation to the Senate.
We are conscious of the spectrum of issues arising from the cases so
far which include ,but is not limited to who can participate, when can
the election validly hold ,given the expired time frames set by the
Court of Appeal, what is the nature of the election to follow and all
their attendant technicalities.
Once again we appeal to the voters in Anambra Central to stand by and
vote for APC whenever the whistle is blown for the election by first
trooping out to register and confirm their names in the voter register
when the INEC review begins next month.
We hasten to warn Gov.Willie Obiano of Anambra State to lay off the
recent tactics being introduced to the issue of Anambra Central rerun
election to form part of a pseudo triangular deal involving a former
Central Bank Governor, as such belongs to the past dark years of
Anambra State political life, while today’s version is full of
foresight and mutual respect.
The current manouvres will be gracefully assisted to fail from our stable.
We restate for the avoidance of doubt that while we are interested in
any and every step that will restore representation for Anambra
Central, we would resist any steps that will short-change the
principle of democracy and the rule of law.
For: ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), ANAMBRA STATE CHAPTER