The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at the weekend responded to calls by some individuals and groups for the outright cancellation of results of the November 16 Anambra governorship election, describing proponents of the call as enemies of Nigeria’s democracy.
The party specifically accused the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has been in the forefront of campaigns for the cancellation of the results of playing “alaye” politics.
It would be recalled that APC, on Thursday, in a petition signed by its Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and Interim National Secretary, Tijani Tumsah, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the election and conduct a fresh one across the state.
But INEC in its response insisted that despite the glaring flaws that characterized the November 16 elections which it declared as ‘inconclusive’, there was no sufficient evidence to warrant an outright cancellation of the entire results and instead announced a new date – November 30, for supplementary election in areas where it recorded challenges.
The results declared by the commission placed APGA in a clear lead, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APC came a distant second and third respectively. The trio of APC, Labour Party and PDP candidates, Dr Chris Ngige, Chief Ifeanyi Uba and Chief Tony Nwoye, respectively, rejected the results announced by INEC and vowed to boycott the supplementary election.
However, National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh lampooned APC and other proponents of cancellation of the election saying INEC, by law, cannot cancel the result of an election it has already announced.
He said: “By leading this type of campaign, APC has shown clearly that it is an alaye party, it is ready to destroy anything if it cannot get it. It is dishing out the propaganda that the election was manipulated because the people of Anambra rejected it at the election”.
He continued: “It is now clear to Nigerians that APC is a violent party, it is ready to undermine critical institutions in the bid to achieve a self-serving agenda. It is worrisome that this is the kind of culture APC is bringing to the political space. It is only when it wins that an election can be considered free and fair. This type of politics is a big threat to democracy. APC did everything within its power to rig the election including sending hundreds of thugs to Anambra. But it was not lucky as security operatives nabbed the thugs on their way to Anambra”.
The APGA chairman declared that the party won the governorship election fair and square, arguing that Chris Ngige, the APC candidate, was crying foul because he was allegedly used to manipulation of election.
His words: “I laugh when somebody like Ngige is coming out to shamelessly talk about election rigging. In a sane society somebody like him would not be allowed to contest election. He rigged himself into office in 2003; he enjoyed the mandate that was not his until courts sacked him. He thinks that everybody behaves the same way. APGA has always believed in people’s power; we won in Imo State decently in 2011, we won in Anambra on November 16 decently and we hope to win the entire South East in 2015 decently. APC is merely crying wolf. We won in 16 local governments; we had two thirds in almost all the councils. Those who are seeking for cancellation know that Anambrarians rejected them roundly”.
Umeh submitted that those seeking for the cancellation of the election were doing so out of ignorance as INEC is constitutionally barred from cancelling results of an election it has declared.
“APC lawyers should tutor the party on what the law says regarding results of elections declared by INEC,” the APGA chairman advised.
On INEC officials currently being investigated by the police, Umeh urged the police to bring anybody found guilty in the matter to book.
“APGA wants the truth to be brought to the public space. It is only when those behind what happened in Idemili are unmasked that the public will know the truth,” Umeh stated.
He spoke further: “We have always believed that it is only when you are elected by the people that you can rule well. We rode on the back of massive infrastructural development by the Peter Obi government to win this election. Our people know that APGA is not a party that would tell them lies; Governor Obi has delivered.”
He insisted that the campaign by APC for the cancellation of the governorship election bordered on callousness and lack of interest for the deepening of Nigeria’s democracy.
