The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has voided the 3-man Ward Ad hoc Delegates Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, conducted on the 30th April, 2022 at the 305 Wards in the State.
It gave non-compliance with the relevant laws and guidelines guiding the conduct of ward congress for the election of delegates as a reason for the decision.
According to an eight-page Report on the Imo State PDP 3-man Ward Delegate Congress, signed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Imo State, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, listed the observation of the Commission in each of the 27 Local Government Areas in the State.
While some party officials in some of the Local Government Areas claimed to have done consensus or affirmation or harmonization, the Commission rejected it on the basis that the process adopted by the Party violated the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The report also stated that, “It is pertinent to state that consensus/affirmation is one of the methods approved for the selection of candidates or delegates. However, even when parties have agreed to adopt consensus method, proper Congresses should be held to affirm the chosen candidates or delegates in a free, fair and credible process. This was observed in the breach in this instance.”
The report also confirmed that there were no original result sheets brought to the Congress venues and also corroborated that the result sheets for Ideato North and Ideato South were missing and were not seen by any person and also were not among the twenty-five result sheets deposited with the State Command of the SSS by the PDP.
“In almost all the instances, the monitors claimed that no original result was brought to the venues. The absence of materials, including the sensitive ones (result sheets) as reported by all the electoral officers in all the ward venues where the congress was to hold cast a lot of doubts on the exercise,” the report stated.
By this development, the PDP can only conduct its primary elections in the State for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate with the list of Statutory Delegates as any primary election conducted with any list of ad hoc delegates is bound to be nullified and the party would be at the risk of not having any candidate at all in the State.
