Mrs Ann Agom-Eze, senatorial aspirant for the Ebonyi South senatorial district on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over plots to force her to drop her senatorial ambition through intimidation.
This is contained in a statement issued by Mr David Nsi, Publicity Secretary, Princess Nwanyibuife Campaign Organisation (PNCO), a copy was obtained by our correspondent on Saturday in Abakaliki.
According to the statement, the organisation has uncovered desperate plots to use subterranean tactics including intimidation, harassement and other underdemocratic manoeuvering to edge their principal out of the senatorial race.
The organisation therefore called on the national leadership of APC to ensure full transparency in the screening exercise of National Assembly aspirants from Ebonyi, especially those from Ebonyi South senatorial zone where our principal hails from.
The organisation further called on women organisations, rights activists and the wife of the President, Dr Aisha Buhari to intervene and ensure that the screening committee was not compromised or biased against their principal.”It has been brought to our notice that some infuencial members of APC in our state and in particular Ebonyi South, have infiltrated into the APC Screening Committee with the intention to have her screened out and disqualify her from contesting in the primaries.
“It has also been brought to our notice that they have hatched plans to remove her duly Nominated and Expressions of Interest forms and other credentials in order to disenfranchise her.”Further more, it has also been brought to our notice that her security can no longer be guaranteed as she has been inundated with calls from different quarters insisting that she withdraws without delay.
“This action of theirs is emanating from the fact that she is a woman aspirant; this further disenfranchises her and other women from participating in politics and negating inclusion of women in politics.” Let it be equally stated that the aspirant in 2018 ran for the primaries for the 2019 senatorial election of the same senatorial zone without being disqualified, harassed or intimidated by the high and mighty in APC.”We are therefore calling on the party, all women organisations and activists to rise up against this antics.
” We are equally calling on Her Excellency, Dr Aisha Buhari , our mother to please come to our aid to ensure that she is given the opportunity to excercise her democratic right as a free citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement said.SummitNews reports that Agom-Eze, former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Lands, Survey and Housing is the only female aspirant that picked senatorial nomination and expression of interest forms in APC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the zone.Our correspondent further reports that the aspirant is from the same senatorial zone with the incumbent governor, Chief Dave Umahi.
Meanwhile, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, chairman of Ebonyi chapter of APC could not be reached for comment.But, a top source in the state executive committee (SEC) of the party told Summitnews on condition of anonymity that the screening committee assigned to screen Ebonyi aspirants in Abuja would exercise their duty without undue influence.
He added that APC as a political party was founded on core democratic principles and values insisting that the party would never indulge in anything underdemocratic in conducting its affairs.”Every aspirant who has met all requirements for the screening need not to worry; we are a party founded on sound democratic principles and practices and I assure aspirants that the screening committees will be fair to all,” the source said.
