APC, PDP, APGA not qualified to contest Anambra election – ADC

The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ralph Nwosu, on Tuesday asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.

Nwosu, who made the call at a news conference in Awka, said the three political parties did not conduct proper primary elections to nominate their governorship candidates for the election.

The INEC had last week excluded the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Charles Soludo of (APGA) and Valentine Obiozor (PDP) from the election.

The commission picked Chukwuma Umeoji who won the APGA primary election conducted by Jude Okeke faction of the party and listed no candidate for the PDP.

However, a court in Anambra State on Monday ordered INEC to restore Soludo as APGA’s candidate for the election.

It also directed the commission to recognize Senator Ugochukwu Uba as PDP flag bearer in the poll.

The ADC chief said: “It will be a greatest injustice to have APGA, PDP, and APC on the ballot paper in the November 6 governorship election. History will record it as a disaster to our democracy.

READ ALSO: Court orders INEC to recognise Uba as PDP candidate for Anambra election

“They have no right to contest in the governorship election because their primaries were not properly conducted, they dishonoured party system and there was no clear congress that nominated their candidates.

“The leadership crisis in these parties is beginning to show. Anambra has become a laughing stock in the country and it does not promote democracy.”

Nwosu said ADC was one of the parties qualified to contest in the governorship election, adding that the party conducted one of the best and transparent primary elections in the country.

He stressed that party had been recognised as the “Third Force” and repositioned to salvage Anambra State in the election and the country at large.

“Our DNA is about discipline, perseverance and transparency and the people are beginning to crave for a ‘Third Force’ after the two big parties in the country.

“ADC is that ‘Third Force’. Go and check the facts, out of the total votes cast in 2019 general elections, ADC came third.

“If not for the problems of corruption and power of incumbency, ADC would have had about five governors in the 2019 general election,” he added.

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