The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman for the South-East, Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, has dismissed claims circulating on social media and in some purported news reports over the party’s candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District, also known as the Orlu Senatorial Zone.
Arodiogbu, in a statement issued on Thursday and circulated to journalists in Owerri, said the matter was currently before the courts and therefore sub judice.
He said, however, that persistent inquiries from APC members, stakeholders and members of the public had made it necessary to clarify the party’s position.
The APC leader described a group operating under the name “Progressive Lawyers Forum” as unknown to the party’s leadership, structures and membership, urging members of the public to disregard what he described as fabricated claims emanating from the group.
Arodiogbu said the group’s alleged reliance on documents purportedly issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha’s claim to the APC ticket was unfounded.
According to him, the APC Imo West Senatorial District Congress Committee, chaired by Rear Admiral Williams Kayode (rtd.), conducted the party’s primary election in accordance with the APC Constitution, party guidelines and applicable laws.
He said the exercise was conducted using the Option A4 method, involving direct voting through an open-queue system across local government areas within the senatorial district.
Arodiogbu said Senator Hope Uzodimma was declared winner at the conclusion of the exercise.
He added that the Appeal Committee constituted by the APC National Working Committee subsequently reviewed the primary, including its results and representations, and upheld the outcome.
The party thereafter submitted Uzodimma’s name to INEC as its duly elected and nominated candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District, he said.
Arodiogbu also disclosed that the APC National Working Committee had specifically appointed him to lead its monitoring team for the primary election in the South-East.
He said the team’s observations during the exercise and its subsequent report to the NWC were consistent with the findings and declaration of the Congress Committee.
The APC National Vice Chairman further alleged that Okorocha was in Abuja on the day of the primary and did not participate in the exercise in his ward or at any other stage of the process.
He consequently questioned claims relating to an alleged forged Certified True Copy or an alternative result purportedly obtained from INEC.
“The only authentic and valid result of the primary election is the one submitted by the party to INEC, affirmed by the Congress Committee, upheld by the Appeal Committee, and endorsed by the National Working Committee,” he said.
Arodiogbu maintained that any document purporting to indicate a different outcome should be subjected to appropriate legal scrutiny.
On the pending litigation, he urged all parties to allow the judicial process to run its full course, expressing confidence in the judiciary.
He also said Rear Admiral Williams Kayode (rtd.), chairman of the Congress Committee, its secretary, other committee members and members of the monitoring team were available to provide clarification where necessary.
Arodiogbu said he was personally prepared to appear before the court and testify whenever required.
He reaffirmed that the APC’s nomination process was guided by its constitution, internal democracy and due process, insisting that the Imo West primary followed the prescribed procedures.
He called on APC leaders, stakeholders, supporters and members across Imo State and the South-East to remain calm and united while the dispute is resolved through the appropriate legal channels.
He said the party leadership would continue to defend the integrity of its internal processes, uphold the supremacy of its constitution and protect the collective interests of the party.
Make the headline more neutralAttribute disputed claims more consistently
(Authority)
