Anambra APC primary: Appeal Panel submits report......Says Committee Will be fair to aggrieved aspirants, Gombe Governor assures.

By Aviashima Toom

The Gombe State governor and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress five-man Appeal Panel, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya today submitted his Committee report.

The Committee which has Dr Ijeoma Arodiogbu as Secretary was set up following the rejection of the outcome of the APC primary that produced Senator Andy Uba as the party standard-bearer for the November 6 governorship primary.

Eleven out of the 14 Governorship primary had kicked against the outcome of the June 26 primary.

Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and one of the aspirants, George Moghalu had said no primary was conducted in Awka.

In league with him were Paul Orajiaka and Edozie Madu, Johnbosco Onunkwo, Ben Etiaba, Amobi Nwaokafor, Chidozie Nwankwo, Geoffo Onyjegbu, Azuka Okwuosa and two others.

According to reports the Governor Yahaya led Committee, however, received petitions from five of the aspirants who maintained that the party must conduct a fresh primary.

Submitting his report, on Monday, to the National Secretary of the APC Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, the Gombe State governor said he was confident his Committee recommendations would mitigate the crisis trailing the outcome of the emergence of Senator Uba as a candidate.

He told newsmen that virtually all the aggrieved aspirants were invited and they made presentations before his Committee.

“As I promised, we did justice to the assignment. We heard their complaints.

“We went through the petitions and we have written our report based on the materials that we got that could help us to prepare our recommendations.”

Prodded to shed light on specific recommendations of his Committee report, the Gombe State Governor told newsmen to wait until the CECPC formally unveil the report.

“I will wish that you wait for the report from the National Caretaker Committee because for now, all the documents are with them. But I believe justice has been done.

“Virtually all the aggrieved aspirants attended the meeting. We summoned all of them. It was not only the contestants. Even senior stakeholders from the South-East particularly from Anambra state.”

Earlier while receiving the report, Senator Akpanudoedehe thanked the Gombe State governor and assured that the party leadership would look at the report, critically and objectively.

He said: “I stand on behalf of the party chairman to thank you immensely for the expediency and the urgency that you have given to this assignment. Thank you very much. We are a progressive party and the progressive parties are very straightforward and we’re honest in our dealings.

“I want to assure you that the Caretaker Committee Chairman and the Caretaker will look critically with objectivity to this report. Even though, I don’t know what is contained in this (report), at the end of the day, the party supremacy and the party direction will be guided by what you have done.