Victor Ezeja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) five-man delegate committee for the three-man adhoc delegates congress in Anambra State has stated that the exercise was successful in various local government areas across the state despite some hiccups.
This was revealed in a statement dated May 1, 2022 and signed by the five members of the committee copied to PDP National Secretary, National Organising Secretary, Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Commissioner of Police, Director of Department of State Services (DSS) and Commandant Civil Defence Corps in the state.
The panel headed by Jibrin Ahmed and Engr Victor Ogbonna alleged that they were compelled by some members of the party to make the earlier pronouncement of cancellation of the delegate election.
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Other members of the committee include Captain Frank Ntima, Hon. Amara Ogbu and Barr. Azubuike Odoh.
Earlier, there was a report of the committee cancelling the PDP three-man delegates congress in Anambra State scheduled to hold on Saturday April 30, 2022.
But the committee in the statement titled, “Re Purported Cancellation of 3 Man Adhoc Delegate Congress Elections for Anambra State” signed by all the members, explained what transpired.
The statement indicated that the committee members arrived Anambra State on Saturday April 30, at about 3:00 pm but could not get full security details and due to instability in the state, the chairman decided to reschedule the exercise to Sunday May 1, and communicated the development to party stakeholders including the state administrative secretary.
It further stated that the committee members arrived the state party secretariat on Sunday morning, met stakeholders present and distributed election materials to the designated three-man electoral panel in the 21 LGAs in the state for the delegate election to commence.
But Valentine Ozigbo, Ndubuisi Nwobu, Hon Tony Nwoye and Sam Ben Nwosu came to the secretariat with some of people which the panel described as “miscreants” and demanded for the original result sheets which has already been distributed to be given to them alleging that the three-man electoral panel being used for the exercise was not in their favour.
The panel said that after forcefully collecting duplicate copies of the result sheets, they returned them through the state admin secretary, Mr Casmir Ajuu, and compelled them to issue a statement cancelling the exercise.
The statement reads in part, “We got to the party secretariat at about 11am in the morning and addressed the party members and stakeholders present thereafter, we distributed the electoral materials including the original results sheets to the designated 3 man electoral panel of the 21 local government areas.
“After distribution, Valentine Ozigbo, Ndubuisi Nwobu, Hon Tony Nwoye and Sam Ben Nwosu stormed the secretariat with some miscreants and insisted that we give them the original result sheets which has already been distributed on the grounds that the list of 3 man local government area electoral panel being used for the exercise is not favorable to them.
“They locked the entrance and compelled the committee to do a letter cancelling the exercise and thereafter forced us to do a press conference.”
A video that went viral showed the chairman of the five-man panel, Jibrin Ahmed who appeared cold, reading a handwritten letter announcing cancellation of the exercise.
The committee said they were rescued by DSS officials after which they proceeded to a hotel chosen as center for collation of results instead of the party secretariat for security reasons, and completed the exercise.
“Let it be on record that the election was free and fair and successfully concluded except for the ugly incidence which we narrated above,” the panel declared in the statement.
