Nonsochukwu Uwa, Owerri
One of the Imo State governorship aspirants under the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Ngozi Aririguzo, on Thursday, described the APGA, governorship primary held on Sunday as an illegality that would not be allowed to stand.
Mrs. Aririguzo disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri while explaining what she alleged to be irregularities perpetrated during the primary, that produced Tony Ejiogu, as the governorship candidate of APGA, in the state.
One of her grievances was that arriving at the venue of the guber primary, along Egbu road in Owerri, it was observed that the delegates list was allegedly tampered with and names were imposed on the list. A drama she said resulted in changing the guber primary venue to three different places.
According to her, “The purported primary of APGA, which was supposed to take place last Sunday was a charade. I bought my form and I did all I should have done.
“I have been in APGA and one of the state executives. They know what I can do and that I can take APGA to the next level. After Saturday’s meeting, with the SWC, I was waiting for screening. While in that meeting, I told them if I don’t win I will support the person that wins. And if I win the person should also support me.
“But unfortunately, after the Saturday meeting, the state chairman called me that the primary will be on Sunday. When I arrived on Sunday for the guber primary, the chairman of the election and his team were there. I found out that they had changed the list of delegates. Because the delegates who are supposed to vote were there.”
“So, there was a problem, confusion everywhere. As they could not contain it, They started changing the venue for the primary. From APGA, state secretariat to May 77 hotel, and later to another venue. This was what happened. Confusion everywhere.
“So if anybody says there was a primary on that Sunday, it is not true. The truth is that APGA members are not happy with what happened in APGA, and what the national body is doing. There are a lot of irregularities going on in APGA; those in Abuja think that they are the umpire and they can do anything they like. What I want to tell them is that they can’t swindle me,” she said.
