ILLEGAL ALTERATION OF ANAMBRA STATE UPP DELEGATES LIST FOR GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARIES
Despite all entreaties, including an order of court that the United Progressive Party should adhere to the provisions of its own constitution in the conduct of the Anambra state governorship primaries, the party appears determined to violate its own constitution in the manner I shall lay down below.
1] Article 23[3] of the UPP constitution states clearly, that “aspirants for the office of the governor SHALL be elected by the STATE CONGRESS subject to the approval of the national executive committee”. It follows therefore that the state executive committee led by the Chairman should be the body to accredit and conduct the affairs of the state congress scheduled for today the 19th of August 2017. The role of the eminent members of the panel sent from the national headquarters of the party is supervisory.
2] After a hotly contested ward and local government congress in June 2017, in line with Article 10[4] of the UPP constitution, a delegates list comprised of local government chairmen and secretaries and ward chairmen, secretaries, treasurers, youth leaders and women leaders was compiled and counter signed by the state chairman and secretary and all the local government chairmen and forwarded to the national headquarters for record purposes.
To the surprise and consternation of party members, a delegates list copiously at variance with the list of ELECTED delegates was uploaded on the website of the UPP on the 29th of July 2017 and variously amended on the 4th and 5th of August 2017. The website list contains names of members of a campaign organization and some fictitious names with no phone numbers unlike the authentic delegates list that had the phone numbers of all delegates displayed.
I notified the national chairman of the party, Chief Chekwas Okorie who promised to take steps to remedy the situation and assured me that he would not allow anything that will affect the integrity of the primaries. But it appears that some members of the panel he sent to supervise the primaries did not heed his counsel, as they have not only decided to conduct the primaries but also to use the illegal delegates list in the process.
I will conclude by stating clearly, that the use of unelected delegates for the purpose of the UPP governorship primaries by the Anambra state congress will be a violation of Section 87 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.
I wish to bring this to your notice as you are empowered by law to monitor the activities of political parties.
Thank you and very warm regards.
Sincerely,
Hon Chudi Offodile
Governorship aspirant
United Progressive Party [UPP]
