The members of Anambra State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 2022 primary election ward congresses electoral committee have denied the alleged cancellation of 3-man adhoc delegates congress elections in the State.
The committee stated that the election was free, fair and successfully concluded despite ugly incident encountered at the initial stage.
In a letter to the National Chairman of PDP dated May 1, 2022 signed by the 5-man committee members; Jibrin Ahmed (Chairman), Frank Ntima, Amara Ogbu, Azubuike Odo and Victor Ogbonna (Secretary), alleged that they some party stakeholder and aspirants stormed the party secretariat with some miscreants held them hostage for two hours.
The letter which was made available to Daily Sun also copied to National Secretary PDP, National Organizing Secretary PDP, Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC-INEC Anambra state, Director, DSSS Anambra state and Commandant Civil Defence Corps.
The committee stated it took the efforts of DSS operatives to rescue them that made them to proceeded to the collation center at Bon hotel a place chosen due to lack of electricity and security at the party secretariat where they concluded the exercise.
The letter read in part: “we arrived Anambra state on April 30, 2022 at about 3.00pm and proceeded to the police with our introductory letter but were unable to deliver same as the men on duty told us that the commissioner of police was not on seat and that we should wait till Monday. Knowing that our assignment was time bound, we proceeded to the DSS headquarters in the state and submitted their own copy of the letter.
“However, due to security situation in Anambra state, the chairman in his wisdom decided that we postponed to the next day Sunday May 1, 2022 and communicated same to the admin secretary.
“When 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 LGA.
“After distribution some party stakeholders and aspirants (names withheld) stormed the secretariat with some miscreants and insisted that we give them the original results sheets which has already been distributed on the grounds that the list of 3 man LGA election panel being used for the exercise is not favourable 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. They initially compelled the committee to sign the photocopies of God results in our possession and issued same the the people in their own list of 3-man local government electoral panel. A decision they later rescinded and asked us to cancel the exercise outrightly, hence handing over the signed photocopies to them through the administrative secretary of the party.
“The men of the DSS later rescued us after being held hostage for more than two hours. We then, proceeded to the collation centre, BON hotel a place chosen due to lack of electricity and security at the party secretariat and concluded the exercise.
“Let it be on record that the election was free, fair and successfully concluded except for the ugly incident which we narrated above” it stated.
Source: The Sun
