There are indications that the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Anambra governorship election, Senator Andy Uba, may have moved to recover his campaign funds allegedly released to top politicians in the state following their failure to deliver their local governments.
As … Uba heads to the Election Petitions Tribunal to challenge the victory of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Prof. Charles Soludo, in the just concluded Anambra State governorship election, he still has the hurdle of the awaited judgement in the suit filed against him by the CEO and Managing Director of the National Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA), Chief George Moghalu.
Moghalu had gone to court challenging the candidacy of Uba contending that there was no primary election in Anambra State APC, praying the court to nullify the candidacy of Uba.
Before the conduct of the gubernatoral election hearing on the matter had been concluded awaiting the judgement of the court on the matter.
Should the court rule that Uba is not the candidate of APC in the last governorship election, he would have no locus to challenge the victory of Soludo in the said election. It was alleged that attempts were made to strike out the suit but it all failed to avert the likelihood of Uba not contesting in the election.
According to the Director General of Muoghalu Campaign Organisation, Okey Chukwuogo: “We have confidence in the court that the judgement would be in our favor going by the evidences before the court.
“The APC Appeals Committee had in its report affairmed that there was no primary election in Anambra State and even the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also confirmed that report so we wonder what locus does Sen. Andy Uba has to challenge the outcome of the 2021 governorship election in Anambra State when in the actual sense he was not supposed to be candidate in that election.”
(Meanwhile), sources said that the candidate (Andy Uba) allegedly released various sums of money to senators, members of the House of Representatives and state lawmakers to ensure his victory in some local governments in the state.
But the Chairman of APC in the state, Chief Basil Ejidike, denied the allegation that Uba sent thugs to recover millions of money given to members of his campaign organization and some individuals to deliver him during the election. Ejidike who spoke to this reporter said: “I am not aware of that and I have not seen or heard from anyone that was asked to return money.
And come to think of it, what you are saying is that we were involved in vote buying which is against the Electoral Act.”
Efforts to reach the chieftain proved abortive as he could not be reached on phone but it was gathered that he expressed disappointment that he could not deliver Sen. Uba, noting that he had a lot of baggage that made him unacceptable by the electorate. Similarly, a former member that represented Idemili North and South Federal Constituency who decamped from APGA to APC, (names withheld) is allegedly on the run over the alleged attempt by Uba to recover over N1.5 billion given to him to win Idemili North Local Government area for the APC.
He failed to pick our reporter’s call when his position on the issue was sought. Idemili North has the highest number of registered voters in Anambra State totaling about 167, 000 voters.
Similarly some House of Representatives members that decamped from APGA and PDP to the APC are said to be in trouble following alleged attempt to recover N850,000 million given to them to deliver Uba during the gubernatorial election in the state. Various social media campaign groups in the state are currently abuzz with news of the alleged recovery, as some of the beneficiaries have refused to refund their money.
Also, about 70 branded vehicles of Uba given to members of his campaign organisation have not been found as they have allegedly disappeared with the members.
▪︎ Source: The New Telegraph