From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
There was a shouting match between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Anambra State and the 5-member Ward Congresses Electoral Committee led by Jibrin Ahmed over the latter’s inability to produce the original result sheets for today’s congresses.
The congresses were supposed to hold yesterday, Saturday, across the 326 wards in the state but the absence of the committee members at the party’s state secretariat in Udoka Housing Estate, Awka stalled the process.
It was gathered that the committee had instructed the National Assembly aspirants and others to assemble at the party’s office for briefing today being Sunday before the ward congresses, but only came with the photocopies of the results sheets.
Enraged by that, the party stakeholders insisted that the committee must produce the original result sheets before any other activity would take place. They suspected that the committee was plotting to play foul. The party stalwarts made it clear that the process must be fair and transparent.
But following the failure of the electoral committee to produce the original result sheets, the party stakeholders held the congress committee members hostage at the party’s secretariat. They insisted that they won’t led them go until they produce the original result sheets.
It became a shouting match when the committee claimed that they left the original result sheets in one of their hotel rooms. The party members waited for hours but the panel was still unable to produce the original result sheets.
They accused the panel members of trying to run away to Abuja to write names of people of their choice.
Chairman of the Congress Committee, Ahmed, claimed that his committee did not come with the original result sheets because of security reasons. His reason was, however, rejected by the party faithful who insisted that he must produce the original result sheets.
The governorship candidate of the party during the November 6 election, Chief Valentine Ozigbo, appealed to members for calm, offering his personal security and vehicles to take the chairman to his hotel room to bring the original result sheets.
The chairman, Ahmed, however, declined the offer, insisting that he must go alone. The members refused to allow him leave the secretariat.
Further details later…