The All Progressives Grand Alliance on Sunday dispelled the insinuation that President Goodluck Jonathan was behind the disqualification of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, from the party’s primary election.
The party also said it was not worried by the threat by Soludo to challenge his disqualification from the August 26 APGA governorship primary election in court.
The Anambra State governorship election holds on November 16, 2013.
Soludo, in an ex parte motion filed by his counsel, Ikechukwu Ezechukwu (SAN), had asked the court to set aside the party’s screening panel’s decision, saying it violated the party’s constitution as well as the 1999 Constitution.
According to the motion, Soludo is seeking an order of certiorari to dismiss the decision of the screening panel/appeal panel, dated August 16, 2013,” that purportedly disqualify him from contesting the Anambra State governorship primary.
But the party’s National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, said that Soludo was free to go to court, even though other aspirants, who were not cleared by the party’s screening panel, had accepted the decision in good faith.
He said, “How can we be scared? APGA has always been in court; if the court makes any decision, we will have to look at the decision of the court. APGA is not bothered by Soludo’s decision to proceed to court because we have always been in court and we are used to going to court. If the court makes an order that we can obey, why not? We cannot disobey court order and so we can’t be afraid at all.
“But let it be on record that Soludo is the only one that has challenged APGA’s decision in court among the six aspirants that were not cleared. He is the only one who knows the road to the court. The other aspirants have demonstrated their loyalty to the party and they are working with the party.
“All others have spoken individually acknowledging the reasons for their non-clearance. They saw that the panel was set up to do a thorough job and they commended the panel.”
Umeh also exonerated the Presidency from Soludo’s “political woes” ahead of the governorship election.
He said, “President (Goodluck) Jonathan is not a member of APGA and the whole issue does not concern him. It is normal for people to pass blame to others, who are not even connected to their problems. President Jonathan is not a member of APGA and he’s not a member of APGA’s decision-making process.
“APGA will win the Anambra governorship election. When we win, they will now know that there are a lot of people who can win election in APGA and not only people who are claiming that they are strong candidates.”
“People who are claiming that they are strong candidates have contested before and they didn’t win election. Is it now that they will become better candidates? So, it is their personal claims and they are neither here nor there. Why should people who have contested elections before and lost be describing themselves as strong candidates?”
