Anambra central: APC should accept defeat —Okonkwo

By Clifford Ndujihe

LAGOS—SENATOR Annie Okonkwo, the Supreme Court affirmed senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for the 2015 polls in Anambra Central, has advised the All Progressives Congress, APC to accept defeat.

Okonkwo, who insists that he is now a senator-elect by virtue of the Supreme Court ruling of January 29 that made him the authentic candidate of the PDP for the polls, picked holes in APC’s claims that he did not contest the elections and as such cannot be senator-elect.

The Court of Appeal, last December nullified Mrs Uche Ekwunife’s election for the Anambra Central senatorial because she was not validly nominated.

In a statement by his Personal Assistant, Harvester Charles, Okonkwo said: “PDP no doubt, witnessed a gale of parallel primary elections in Anambra State but Senator Okonkwo emerged the winner of the only primary election monitored by INEC and which the authentic state executive participated in.

“INEC, the body charged with the responsibility of conducting elections in Nigeria, had stated its position on the crisis rocking the party before the parallel primary elections. Senator Annie Okonkwo’s name was published by INEC.”

I am surprised to read the rubbish written by the Anambra State Publicity Secretary, Okelo Madukaife, that ‘rather than prepare for election, Annie Okonkwo is involved in a cricket celebration, ordering swearing in clothes running into hundreds of millions of Naira, and making an acceptance speech that builds something on nothing.

“If Madukaife was okay after the PDP primary election, he wouldn’t have said such because Senator Annie Okonkwo campaigned before the election and the people of Anambra Central senatorial district voted for the PDP candidate during the election. PDP won the election and INEC declared PDP winner.’’