By Vincent Ujumadu
 
AWKA- CONFUSION and intrigues have trailed the House of Representatives primaries of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra State, with some of those who felt they were outmaneuvered petitioning Governor Willie Obiano and the national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh.
 
Constituencies where there were uncertainties include Ihiala, Ogbaru, Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia, Awka North and Awka South, among others.
 
Of all the affected federal constituencies, that of Ihiala appeared to be more pronounced. @For instance, it was gathered that the result of the primaries had to be changed in favour of a candidate that lost, which did not go down well with many delegates.
 
An APGA delegate in Ihiala (names withheld) said weekend that the person, who was declared winner after losing the primaries, was being sponsored by another political party to ensure that APGA presents a weak candidate so that their favoured candidate from the opposing political party would find it easy during the main election.
 
He said: “During the accreditation of delegates by the returning officer, Mrs. Nelly, many ward chairmen of APGA complained that the delegates who were accredited for the election, having emerged from the ward congress held on November 25, 2014 were neither the persons that won in their wards, nor members of the party.
 
“Surprisingly, the complaints of the ward chairmen were disregarded by the returning officer, such that non-members of APGA were allowed to participate in the election as voters.”
 
He added that upon conclusion of voting and counting of votes, the returning officer announced that Mr. Martin Nwabineli scored 39 votes, while his opponent, Mr. Ifeanyi Momah scored 36 votes, adding that five votes were declared invalid.
 
He alleged that to the surprise of everybody present, one of the supporters of one of the aspirants went downstairs and switched off the electric generator that supplied light for the exercise, and when the light was eventually restored, the Ihiala local government chairman of APGA, Mr. Udekigbo Chibuzor announced that four of the invalid votes would be credited to Momah, thereby bringing his total votes to 40, while that of Nwabineli remained 39.
 
He said further: “The plot is to select an unpopular candidate for APGA who cannot personally fund his election so that PDP moneybags in Ihiala local government area, who provided the funds for his primaries, would starve him of funds for the general election to ensure the victory of their preferred candidate of PDP during the main election in 2015.”
 
Similarly in Ogbaru federal constituency, delegates to the House of Representatives primaries expressed surprise that while they were busy voting in their constituency, the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mrs. Chinwe Nwaebili was rejoicing in Awka that she had been declared the candidate for the constituency.
 
In Awka North and South federal constituency, there was fracas at the venue of the primaries following alleged manipulation of the exercise by some people to declare somebody who lost the primaries as the candidate of the party. It was gathered that the exercise had to be postponed to calm down frayed nerves.