Interpol consultant and Security Expert ,Sir Chikwe Udensi has broken silence since the All Progressive Grand Alliance,APGA finished their gubernatorial primary election in Abia State.
Udensi maintained that the electoral guidelines of the party was followed as the process that produced him as a candidate of the party was procedural,while he described the process at Villa Roy Hotel, Umuahia which declared him the Governorship candidate during the Guber primaries of the All Progressive Grand Alliance as the right process.
Udensi who accused the State Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance of manipulating the process of the primary election which produced Prof.Gregory Ibe , added that the Chairman of the electoral committee for Abia, Echezona Etiaba who declared Ibe winner of the primary was kept under duress, having been held for over Four hours alongside other members of the panel is an indication that the errors misrepresenting laws guiding the party can’t stand.
While speaking on a Radio programme monitored by newsstarlet Sir Udensi said the delegates elections according to electoral guidelines,was meant to be supritended by the ward chairmen as problem started with falsified delegates list as some persons within APGA were said to have conspired to hijack the process.
In his narration on the outcome of the primary which was held on Sunday, the Chairman of the electoral panel recommended Villa Roy as the venue for the primaries as Kolpin conference center was to small and could not be good for the election but he (Etiaba)was not allowed to execute the primary procedurally .
He added that the Villa Roy election had the Three man panel recommended by National working committee present at the primary .
Udensi further said that involvement of some thugs at Kolpin Center had prompted the change by the Chairman of the electoral panel Echezona as the electoral panel were being held forcefully to put up a report by Hon.Obinna Ichita and cohorts.
He said APGA was not used to violence as it was more of touts who were gathered to the premesis of the election been employed by Prof Gregory Ibe.
In his words: “you don’t want those you’ll elect to use thugs”.
The use of thugs by an aspirant according to Chikwe Udensi was very unfortunate and not a system known to APGA, as he stated that such practice is synonymous to the PDP style of election as APGA cannot tow such part.
“If an aspirant uses thugs, the tendency is that these thugs will be part of the government this is what we say against the PDP”
He expressed excitement that the other members of the panel were able to conduct the Primary election, while he noted that it is in the electoral act that any election declared through such means will not stand , saying that that of Gregory Ibe will not stand as the two primaries conducted in Kolping Conference Center and the one of Villa Roy Hotel will be left for the Law to decide which one is authentic, adding that procedure is always important.
He said the process that declared Prof. Gregory Ibe winner was contrary to the electoral guidelines of the party as statutory members of the party were not supposed to be co-opted into the electoral panel by the Five- man panel sent by NWC during the primary but said it was unfortunate to see Obinna Ichita piloting the delegates while the Chairman of the party and secretary of the party were found actively involved in the primary election to the surprise of other aspirants like General Ijioma Rtd and Etigwe Uwa,SAN.
“Five of them were nominated by the national working committee of the party to come to Abia State and was headed by Etiaba ” .
“On arrival the members of the electoral panel were meant to co-opt party members that were not statutory members but once you co-opt any member that member becomes a member of the electoral committee so those Eighteen members co-opted were supposed to help them in executing what happens in Abia because all of them are not from Abia ,they have to co-opt party officials that are not statutory members but unfortunately look at what happened at Kolpin Society Conference Center,the secretary is a statutory member,the Chairman of the party Austin Ehiemere and Obinna Ichita were all statutory members who ought not to be there following the party guidelines”.
I was elected APGA Governorship candidate through the right process-Udensi
