Abuja: The National Rescue Movement (NRM) says it has contacted its team of lawyers to address the alleged imposition of a candidate on the party by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra.
The NRM said it was shocked that INEC, which had refused to recognise its National Electoral Committee (NEC), constituted at its last emergency convention held on Jan.17, would turn around to publish the name of a candidate for the poll.
Mr Isaac-Chigozie Udeh, the immediate-past National Chairman of the party and now the National Organising Secretary of the NRM, stated this while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
Recall that INEC recently announced November 8 as the date for the governorship election in Anambra.
Udeh said that although his name “remains the party’s national chairman in INEC’s record and website,” he never submitted any candidate’s name to his party’s electoral body regarding the Anambra election.
“On January 16, 2025, we got an order impelling INEC to monitor our emergency national convention slated for January 17, 2025. INEC was duly notified.
“The emergency national convention was held, and Chief Edozie Njoku and other national executives were elected. I stepped down (as the National Chairman) to become the National Organising Secretary of the party.
“On March 5, 2025, Hon. Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, went further to give a judgement impelling INEC to accept and recognise the outcome of the January 17, 2025, emergency national convention of the party,” he said.
He stated that despite being notified about the January 16 order and March 5 judgment, INEC allegedly “decided to monitor an illegal NEC meeting on January 27, 2025, and the purported Emergency National Convention of April 14, 2025.”
He said this was in total defiance of the subsisting court order compelling the commission to recognise the party’s national executives who emerged from the January 17 convention.
“INEC rejected all the letters we wrote notifying them of our electoral activities in preparation for the Anambra governorship election and the need for them to monitor it as required by the law.
“Brazenly, INEC chose to monitor the illegal governorship primaries organised by Mr. Chinedu Obi, the National Welfare Officer of the party,” he explained.
Udeh accused some identified INEC officials of allegedly subverting the NRM’s intention and efforts to function effectively as a political party under a new leadership led by Chief Njoku.
He accused the officials of misleading INEC and violating Subsection 2.5 (a), (b), and (d) of the Electoral Act 2022, which relates to how a political party submits its candidates’ lists and particulars to INEC.
“It is abundantly clear that the purported name inserted against NRM in the Anambra governorship election does not have the approval of the legally recognised NRM National Chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku.