APC, Ndoma Egba, fault PDP’s call to annul Oshiomhole’s election

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday faulted calls by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to annul the election of its new National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, at the just concluded national convention.

Secretary of the convention committee, Victor Ndoma-Egba, who maintained that Oshiomhole’s election satisfied the provision of the party constitution and the electoral Act, also reechoed the party’s position.

Ndoma-Egba, who spoke with reporters in Abuja said: “Our party’s constitution and the electoral act are very clear and when Oshiomhole was announced unopposed, the question was asked at the convention, so we believe that we satisfied every legal requirement.”

He said it would be premature to speak on Osita Izunaso’s claims that he lost through a manipulated process and faulted allegations that five states delegates were disqualified from voting at the convention.

He disclosed that statutory delegates from Cross River and Enugu states were allowed to vote notwithstanding the fact that there were litigations against them in the courts over the outcome of the recently concluded states congresses of the party.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, it noted that it was disheartening to know that the PDP that ruled for 16 years did not realise that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had no role in a political party’s internal election.

Maintaining that the PDP lacked the locus standi to contest the outcome of its National Convention where Oshiomhole emerged the National Chairman, the APC asserted that it adhered to the provisions of its constitution and the electoral Act while conducting the convention.

“If the PDP now sees itself as an interested party in our internal elections, we would encourage them to send their petitions to the Convention Appeals Committee. We, however, do not expect them to understand the process of internal democracy.

“It is clear that having been kicked out of power, the PDP still has no idea what to do three years after. However, playing the busybody and openly advertising their ignorance of basic electoral rules will make it even more difficult for Nigerians to grant them the forgiveness they are asking for,” the statement reads.