ANAMBRA 2021: CSO Uncovers Akobundu’s Plot to Manipulate PDP Delegates’ List

From GUEST CORRESPONDENT (AWKA)

Ahead of tomorrow’s Peoples Democratic Party, PDP primary election, a civil society group, the Civil Society Committee for Anambra Election Security (CISCAES), has accused Col Austin Akobundu, the National Organising Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of attempting to alter the list of ‘automatic delegates’ for the party’s primary in Anambra State scheduled for tomorrow, June 26, 2021.

Recall that on Thursday, June 25, 2021, the National Working Committee of the PDP announced that only automatic delegates would carry out the party’s primary ahead of the November 6 governorship election, a fallout of a court judgment obtained by Chief Chris Ubah, a party stalwart.

In a letter signed by Comrade Kennedy Iyer, the coordinator of CISCAES, and issued today, (June 25, 2021), the group said it had received worrisome reports of an unlawful adulteration of the list of the automatic delegates assigned to participate and vote in the PDP primary.
CISCAES accused Col Akobundu and some corrupt members of the PDP, both in Anambra and at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, of making efforts to influence and pre-determine the outcome of the election illegally.

According to the group, the move is motivated by financial gratification from an unnamed aspirant.

“This undemocratic practice is unacceptable; hence this letter is being written and presented to the general public, in protest against the office of the National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, headed by Col. Austine Akobundu (rtd). In honor of your office, as the National Organizing Secretary (NOS), CISCAES hereby requests that the fake names be immediately removed from the list,” the letter read.

The group said Col Akobundu’s antics follow a pattern seen in the recently-held ad-hoc ward congress where he conspired with corrupt stakeholders in Anambra State to manipulate the process unjustly.

CISCAES further warned Col Akobundu’s action, if unchecked, would be met with a mass protest of the NGOs/CSOs.

“These pranks have got to stop now, save your name from the mud. Remove those fraudulent names from the list because you know how the names were generated. I will end this protest letter, by quoting the great Bob Marley, when he said ‘You can’t fool some of the people all of the time’. This time around, we are not ready to be fooled,” Comrade Iyer added.

Read the full letter below:
June 25th, 2021ANAMBRA 2021: OPEN PROTEST LETTER TO COL. AUSTINE AKOBUNDU AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC
CISCAES is a security watchdog designed to promote a safe, peaceful, and credible electoral process for the forthcoming 2021 Anambra guber poll. The core objective behind the creation of CISCAES is to checkmate existing or potential threats of violent conflicts, fraud, insecurity, and other forms of illegalities by monitoring and reporting the unethical conducts of political parties, aspirants, or candidates and their key stakeholders or supporters.

CISCAES had received with sadness, complaints of proven reports from various key PDP stakeholders across several Local Governments of Anambra State, stating the ugly reality of the unlawful adulteration of the list of the Automatic Delegates, assigned to participate and vote in the Party’s Primary of Anambra PDP, is scheduled for tomorrow 26th June 2021, ahead of the forthcoming November guber-pool.

This is yet another fraudulent step, being taken by some corrupt members of the PDP, both in Anambra State and in the Party’s Secretariat in Abuja, in the efforts to illegally influence and pre-determine the outcome of the election in favor of their own preferred “Aspirant”, which of course, is based on the financial gratification they have received from the “Aspirant”.

This undemocratic practice is unacceptable; hence this letter is being written and presented to the general public, in protest against the Office of the National Organizing Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, headed by Col. Austine Akobundu (rtd). In honor of your Office, as the National Organizing Secretary (NOS), CISCAES hereby requests that the fake names be immediately removed from the list.

I am sure you are aware of what is happening with the list. There is no way you can claim ignorance of it. This time around, we won’t allow it to happen like it was with the CISCAESAd-hoc delegates primary, held last week. Col. Austine Akobundu (rtd), by this open letter, you have been indicted of conniving with corrupt stakeholders in Anambra State, to unjustly manipulate and adulterate the list of the Automatic Delegates, assigned to participate and vote in the Party’s Primary holding tomorrow 26th June 2021.

Unless you remove the names, there will be a mass protest of the NGOs/CSOs under CISCAES, against you and your Office for the obvious fraud, being perpetrated. You promised me on several occasions, that the Primaries will be free, fair, and credible. But those promises ended up as “mere empty words”, what a shame!

These pranks have got to stop now, save your name from the mud. Remove those fraudulent names from the list because you know how the names were generated. I will end this protest letter, by quoting the great Bob Marley, when he said “You can’t fool some of the people all of the time”. This time around, we are not ready to be fooled. The letter ended.