Six aspirants endorse Gulak Committee report on Imo Governorship primary

Six of the nine Governorship aspirants who contested the Governorship primary in Imo state have insisted that the National Working Committee should release the result of the primary conducted by the Ahmed Gulak Committee, saying cancelling the outcome is against the party guidelines and the Constitution of the party.

Led by the Deputy Governor of the state, Prince Eze Madumere, the six aspirants said the guidelines stipulates that once an election has been contacted, anyone no or pleased with the outcome should approach the appeals panel, pointing out that the were yet to receive any information of any appeals panel looking into the conduct of their primary.

Madumere said the only three aspirants who have agreed to take part in the fresh primary ordered by the National Working Committee are the Son Inlaw to Governor Rochas Okorocha, his brother in-law and manager of his estate, describing them as people from the same home.

He said: “Yesterday we officially addressed the media, to make our positions known to our party and to the whole world for obvious reasons that the elections has been compromised and for that reason that we all came together and said the critical stakeholders, majorly of the aspirants and said that primaries have already been conducted and the result ought to be released as it is. That result which declared senator hope uzodimma as winner was conducted by Alh Gulak. All the aspirants signed and agreed that should be declared.

“As I speak to you, some of you may be aware and may have watched on your TV stations that elections are going on. I can tell you that there is nothing going on in Imo state. The result as I speak, has already been written and waiting for submission today and we have totally rejected it and have already gone to court and the processes has already been served on the national chairman and all the relevant critical stakeholders of the party that we have rejected that and we will stand firm on that.”

Also speaking, Senator Ben Uwajimogu said “if you read the newspapers and watch the television, they claim that the elections are on-going in Imo state. I am here to say that what is going on in the state is a charade. From the point the panel was appointed, they were taken by the son inlaw to the governor in a private jet to lmo state.

“We did not meet any of them until yesterday night when they claimed they were going to have a stakeholders meeting and the governor used that opportunity to insult and assault all those that are opposed to his plan to install his Son-in law as the governor.

“They have taken all the materials to the police stations and from there, taken them to the homes of their aides and there, they are writing all the results. All our people that have come to the various voting centres in all the wards are being attacked by hoodlums that were imported by them.

“They have mobilised about 17 of them, including members of the so-called Imo state security corps and of course policemen that are working in tandem with the government and as I am talking to you, in Amaraku in Isialambanu LGA, two of our supporters have been shot dead, others are in hospitals with all sorts of machete wounds and these are APC supporters not PDP or any other supporters and their offence is that they have come to vote for the candidate of their choice.

“There is no election in Imo state and it is important to let you know this. Whatever is being produced in the state is a charade and if this is allowed, we know what the obvious result will be in 2019.

We are going to face the general elections and we do not want to go with this oppression that has taken place and is still taking place. In the next 2 hours, they are going to probably announce the results. I don’t see how they are going announce results into senate, house of reps, gubernatorial and 27 members of the house of assembly, all concluded between 12 and 4oclock today.”

In his contributions, the winner or the disputed primary, Senator Hope Nzodinma said the party has no choice than to stick to itas own rules and allow those not satisfied to approach the appeals Committee which he said has not been constituted.

He said ‘There critical thing here is that Nigerians should know that we are not in Imo state. That out of the 9 gubernatorial aspirants, 6 of us are here while the remaining 3 include the Son in law to the governor, the second is the brother inlaw to the governor, and the third is the manager of his real estate in owerri . So it is like one ticket held by one man.

“All of us that took money and buy forms have agreed with the outcome of the last primaries conducted under Ahmed Gulak. We have not been invited to any appeals panel if there is any petition consistent with the guidelines. That is the critical thing that no petition has been received against the Ahmed Gulak primaries and none of us have been invited to any meeting at least for the purposes of fair hearing, then we are told that there is going to be another primaries. This is not a joke and we take exception to these.

“More importantly, all the parties were served with court process and since the matter is still pending in court, it will be subjudice. It will therefore not be proper for us to partake again in a fresh exercise without waiting for the outcome of the court process.

“As it has to do with national assembly primaries, our people are there since morning, they have cued in various wards and collation centres and wards and they have not seen anybody who has come to tell them this is how it will or will not be done. The materials have not been seen and the officials have not been seen.

“We are getting call from the state every 20 minutes . What we know is that there results has already been written in homes of persons pointed by the governor. This is one political family and party, we should work as a team as I does not matter who’s interest is at stake.

Reconciliation and peace building should be the name of the building.”