OWERRI ZONE SENATORIAL PRIMARY ELECTION: HON. LUCY ULOAKU OGUZIE REJECTS IMPOSITION OF CONSENSUS CANDIDATE, CALLS FOR A FREE AND FAIR SENATORIAL PRIMARY ELECTION

 

              Hon. Uloaku Oguzie

I, Honourable Lucy Uloaku Oguzie, who is vying for office at the Senate in 2023, representing Imo East Senatorial Constituency has strongly rejected every attempt by the Imo State All Progressives Congress (APC) to impose a Senatorial consensus candidate at Owerri Zone Senatorial District, at the ongoing senatorial primary election in Owerri, the Imo State capital, against my wish and the wishes of most of the candidates contesting for the same position.

I am an indigene of Umuokpo Emeabiam, in Owerri West Local Government Area and have thrown myself into the political sphere, following all due processes and procedures in all stages of the electoral process. 

I wish to state that I have concluded my sensitisation and campaign, toured the LGA areas of my constituency and met with constituents, traditional rulers, and party members and for me to learn that there are discussions about a consensus candidate is both atrocious and outrageous.

I wish to also state that I and my campaign team have been at the Secretariat of APC in Imo State, since the morning of today, the 28th of May, and waited for the start of the Senatorial Prinary  election, all to no avail and I am astounded that there are rumours and discussions of a consensus candidate and no one, not even from the State party has consulted me or advised me to step down for any candidate. 

I am totally bewildered about when, where, and how the conversation of a consensus candidate emanated from. 

 I want to emphatically state that I was not consulted and did not affirm to any consensus candidate as a primary election has always been what I have envisaged as the right and proper way, procedure and manner to produce the next Senator in Owerri Zone, under the flagship of the APC.

I have spent time, money, energy, resources in sensitisation, buying the Senatorial forms and campaigning, only to find out about discussions of a possible consensus. This is not only ludicrous but wrong.

His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodinma has advocated for a free, fair, credible, and transparent election and this is a far cry from what is being presently witnessed in Imo State.

The idea of a consensus is meant to be an agreement of, and for all candidates to step down for a particular candidate and this has not been the case in Owerri Zone Senatorial District.

I will like to voice my disdain and displeasure at the talk of a consensus at the state party level without any consultation and due process which has already been rejected by other aspirants.

I want to formally petition the APC Chairman, His Excellency, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC Party to seriously investigate this matter and stop the gang up of the fraudulent and sham imposition of a consensus candidate and for the APC NWC to direct the state party to conduct a fair, transparent and credible Senatorial Primary Election.

The right thing, at this juncture, will be to carry out a Primary election as it is done in most States of the federation and elect a credible candidate who will represent the good people of Imo East Senatorial Constituents at the Constituency, State and National levels.

SIGNED.

Honourable Lucy Uloaku Oguzie

Imo East Senatorial Aspirant.