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INEC, stakeholders insist on cancellation of Imo PDP ad-hoc delegates’ lists

By Collins Osuji, Owerri
19 May 2022   |   2:00 pm
The Independent National Electoral Commission has again invalidated the outcome of the Local Government and National Delegate Congresses conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State over alleged malpractices and substantial violation of extant laws.

Hon. Chairman INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

The Independent National Electoral Commission has again invalidated the outcome of the local government and national delegate Congresses conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State over alleged malpractices and violation of extant laws.

This was as the election umpire insisted that only statutory delegates as provided in the constitution of the party should be used in all the party’s primaries in the state.

In a letter dated 17th May 2022, the INEC acting secretary, Mr Aminu Idrissaid, “the Commission’s Monitoring Report on the One-Man Ad Hoc National Delegates Congress in Imo State has also indicated substantial non-compliance as no original LGA Congress Result form was provided at any of the LGA Congress venues.

He noted that “the Commission expects that your party’s primaries in Imo State shall be conducted using only Statutory Delegates as provided in the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

Reacting to the development, Imo PDP leadership, stakeholders and some of the chieftains of the party insisted that any attempt to be capable of jeopardizing the effort and commitment of the party to ensure credible, free and fair primaries would be resisted in the best interest of the party and members.

Also, the spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP and House of Representatives hopeful for Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, blamed the development on the alleged desperation of few top party leaders.

He also called on the national leadership of the party to order the immediate arrest and investigation of the electoral officers from the party responsible for the missing results sheets for the conduct of wards’ three-man delegates congress and local government one-man national delegate congress.

“The decision by INEC was a painful one for the Party but in line with the extant laws appears the only option for the PDP in view of the desperate circumstances,” Ugochinyere said.

“The situation was a bag of mixed blessings as Imo PDP members can now sleep with both eyes closed because the desperate efforts to foist a fake delegates list on them is over and the Party can now begin its rebuilding process.”

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