The Anambra Youth Vanguard (AYV), a socio-political organisation comprising youths from the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, has reiterated that the Gubernatorial primaries conducted by the All Progressives Congress in the state on Saturday held and was peaceful across all the local government areas.
The group is insisting that the result as declared by the chairman of the election panel, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, remains the true reflection of the wishes of the party members.
This was contained in statement issued on Monday in Awka, Anambra State capital, after a meeting of the organisation.
The Coordinator of the group, Mr. Okechukwu Okpalanma, while elaborating on the need for political parties to avoid heating up the polity, emphasized that it was important the youths of the state who have a stake in what happens with their future regards the outcome of the coming elections, rise up to the challenge of ensuring individuals and groups with divisive agenda capable of creating violence are resisted and called to order.
“The fake news being disseminated about the governorship primaries conducted by the APC on Saturday, where certain individuals and groups want to create an impression that the election did not hold is unfortunate.
“This is because our members monitored the process in all the local government councils in the state that day.
“INEC officials and members of the panel from the party were at the designated centers on time, and the delegates exercised their franchise after which the chairman of the election panel announced the outcome of the poll at Golden Tulip Hotel, Agulu.
“That winner was Sen. Andy Uba”, he said.
“As a matter of fact”, he continued, “we want to commend the APC and the committee that handled that exercise, for the maturity and professionalism they exhibited in the process, praying other political parties to emulate same going forward as this will help deepen our democratic process.”
Also reacting, Comrade Okonkwo Ugochukwu from Anambra East LGA who witnessed voting during the primary election in Nsugbe, noted that while there might be individuals who are angry because they lost out in the power game, advising those involved to seek reconciliation with the party hierarchy without trying to condemn a process that was peaceful, free and fair.
“There can only be one winner in an electoral process. Once that process has been conducted and observed to be free and fair, we believe the next approach is for everyone else to pool their resources together to support the winner.
“Reconciliations must ensue because a house divided against itself cannot stand,” he said.
The organisation further called on Sen. Andy Uba to play the fatherly role his responsibility requires, so as to bring everyone together, while assuring him that the youths of the state are behind him and will work to ensure he is the next governor of the state.
The Anambra State governorship election is scheduled to hold on the 6th of November, 2021.
