Anambra Central Senatorial Aspirant under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nwabueze Oli, has rejected the outcome of the party’s primary election, insisting that he secured overwhelming support across the district and was denied victory despite what he described as clear evidence of his popularity among party members.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, Oli alleged that the conduct of the primary fell short of expectations and claimed the process did not reflect the wishes of party members who participated in the exercise.
“I had 90% of the vote in Anaocha. In all other local governments, I had 90% of all the votes. And also, I want to say this. I want to make it clear. People in Anaocha are fully aware of the outcome of the result. They know who won. Even the stakeholders are fully aware.”
He emphasised that the outcome being circulated did not reflect what transpired during voting, arguing that residents and party stakeholders in the area were aware of who emerged victorious. “Our senator goes around with Peter Obi, he’s always on Arise TV. He goes on all the media houses to talk about Peter Obi, our our dear leader, to speak good of the party, They will make it clear that I won, Victor. There’s no argument about that.”
Oli claimed he enjoyed overwhelming support during the exercise and questioned assertions that another aspirant had secured victory across the district. “From my understanding, there were about 400 people that stood behind Victor Umeh. So, after they counted, they had to recount again. The same people go back on the same line, and they were counting like three or four times. But in that same field, I had more than 5,000 or 6,000 people standing behind me. We were all there together.”
According to him, the turnout in his favour was visible during the primary, especially in Anaocha Local Government Area, where he said members openly lined up behind him during the accreditation and voting process. “He’s claiming that he won the victory, had the victory in other six local governments. I have videos. I have evidences, of course, to show, So, I had 90% of the vote in Anaocha In all other local governments, I had 90% of all the votes.
Oli also challenged claims that another aspirant won in Anaocha, describing such an outcome as improbable given the political significance of the area. “Anaocha where Victor May comes from. He’s from Anaocha local government, and our dear leader, his excellency, Peter Obi, is from Anaocha local government. So, it’s a strong statement for someone like Victor May to lose in his own town, in his own home.”
He said the party had yet to officially release the results of the primary nearly two weeks after the exercise was conducted. “Currently, there’s no official result that is out there.”
He expressed concern over the delay in announcing the outcome and suggested that party members had already received indications regarding who was being positioned as the winner. “This election happened close to two weeks ago, and they’ve delayed the result up to this moment, We are aware that they put Victor Umeh as the winner.”
Oli disclosed that he had made efforts to contact party leaders over his concerns and was seeking an opportunity to present his grievances directly. “I tried to reach out to the leaders of the party, he hasn’t been around. But they’ve contacted me that anytime he’s back into the country, they’ll have a time to speak with him so I can make him understand, you know, what happened during the election.”
He lso revealed that he paid both the expression of interest fee and an additional contribution requested by the party during the nomination process. ”The first one was the initial form, which we paid three million Naira to show interest, you know, that you want to contest for the SNP position.”
“Then we are told to pay 20 million Naira standard fee just to support the party, which I paid.”
While stressing that the payment was voluntary, Oli said he fulfilled all financial obligations required of aspirants. “We weren’t forced to do that. We weren’t compelled to do that. We were asked, if you’re willing to support the party, go ahead and pay the 20 million Naira. I did, and I paid the 20 million Naira.”
Despite his objections to the process, Oli acknowledged the challenges facing the relatively new party. “The things they did, I wouldn’t say it’s perfect. It wasn’t perfect at all.”
“I have to give them the credit, because I believe they did their best, though their best wasn’t enough.”
The aspirant insisted that his challenge was not personal but centred on ensuring that the wishes of party members were respected and accurately reflected in the final outcome of the primary. “They will make it clear that I won, Victor. There’s no argument about that.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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