The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) said that the attention of the party has been drawn to the series of lies, falsehoods, propaganda and misinformation currently trending on various social media platforms regarding the just concluded nomination processes of the party for the forthcoming By-elections.
APGA said that this unfortunate turn of events has been fuelled by the very jittery opposition particularly in Anambra State, where the fear of impending defeat looms large around the opposition camp.
In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, PhD, the party said, “Ordinarily, APGA would have been tempted to ignore this mischievously and maliciously orchestrated campaign of deceit; however, it has become extremely expedient that we put up the true information in the public space to engender the trust the public has continued to repose in APGA leadership and in the spirit of transparency, accountability and fairness which have become the hallmark of the party under the current leadership”.
“It’s therefore against the foregoing background that we state as follows:
1. The decision to adopt the consensus approach for the 2025 National/State Assembly by-elections was necessitated by the very short time frame given by INEC for the conduct of the byelection, as well as the need to prevent unnecessary waste of resources by aspirants in a contest.
2. Weeks before the primaries, interested aspirants for both the National and State Assembly position across the 16 constituencies in the federation were encouraged to meet and agree on a consensus candidate. This process took place accordingly with Aspirants selecting from amongst themselves a consensus candidate.
3. The party incentivized aspirants to reach a consensus by approving a full refund of nomination and expression of interest fees for all aspirants where a consensus candidate emerged.
4. In line with the decision of the Party where a consensus candidate emerges, efforts are underway to refund other aspirants the full payment for their expression of interest and nomination forms. This is the very first time this is happening in the history of the Party..
5. The consensus-driven approach has received wide support from party members, except for a few individuals seeking to exploit the aspirants and create unnecessary rancor.
6. The process leading to the emergence of a consensus candidate was strictly the affair of the Aspirants, with the delegates merely affirming the outcome at a well monitored Primary election in line with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022.
7. No Aspirant was coerced or compelled to withdraw, as the party was prepared for a fair contest if a consensus did not emerge.
8. The party urges opposition elements peddling false narratives to focus on mitigating their impending defeat on August 16.
9. APGA remains committed to entrenching the democratic process at all times.”
“The party expresses gratitude to its National Leader, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo CFR, for providing leadership and steering the party away from unnecessary rancor. Appreciation also goes to the National Working Committee and party members for supporting the process and putting the party first.”