Anambra Guber: APC Aspirants Begin Sourcing for Alternative Platforms

• ID, LP among choice parties

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Ahead of the August 15 Anambra State governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress(APC), aspirants of the party have commenced shopping for alternative platforms to further their aspirations in the event of not picking the party’s ticket.

This is coming on the heels of allegations of bribery and favoritism by aspirants against one another.

A source from the leadership of the party in the state confirmed this to THISDAY in anonymity, saying the party is already aware that some of the aspirants have already secured nomination forms in other parties where they can win their tickets without much fight.

THISDAY investigation however learnt that Independent Democrats (ID) and Labour Party(LP) are two political parties that are considered strong in the state, where some aspirants on the APC platform had already started making efforts to secure tickets from as they are not known to have aspirants yet.

There has been allegation of bribery in the APC, where supporters of some aspirants have been making accusations that some moneybags had infiltrated the party with the hope of picking the ticket of the party for the election.

Meanwhile, Chairman of ID, Mr. Ikechukwu Okafor, has said his party will hold its primary election on August 30.
Okafor was reacting to the speculation that his party was among those chosen by some APC aspirants as alternative platform for the governorship election.

He told THISDAY that the party already has four aspirants consisting of a woman and a youth, but refused to disclose the names of the party’s aspirants.

The party chairman also denied that the aspirants are those of other political parties who had purchased forms with surrogate names in the hope of jumping ship once the primary election of APC does not favour them.

Okafor said: “Our doors are wide open for anyone who wishes to join us, but we already have our own aspirants. I will not be surprised if ID has been penciled down by some aspirants because we are a very strong party in the state.”