OWERRI—Mr. Ben Onyechere, former Special Adviser to Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, has said that it is undemocratic to allow and settle for corruption in party primaries without consideration to the survival of democracy in the larger society.

His words: “The hue and cry about internal democracy is only a sham because of the conspiratorial role of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Working Committee, NWC, in the last governorship primaries in Imo State as much as other levels of election. It is untoward and unacceptable that a party machinery meant to harmonize issues could turn round not only to monetize the party primaries but also refuse to probe legitimate petitions.

“It is indeed undemocratic to allow and settle for such level of corruption to manifest in the process of party primaries without consideration for the survival of democracy in the larger society. Up until now nobody has said any thing about the recent revelation of corruptibility from a tangible quarter of this polity which goes to show that party officials had developed tick skins and turned their backs at dispossessed members of the party.

“The fore going is a demonstrable background of the hatchet in Imo governorship primary election where an aspirant’s votes were counted last to give room for the most sophisticated rigging in which case void votes were used in covering the deficiencies of a particilar aspirant, an exercise which has served as an eye opener to the incorruptible Imo electorate who have entrusted their franchise in the custody of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.”