Anambra Guber: Ikeotuonye Remains Our Authentic Candidate, Etiaba Is Fake -Action Alliance
The Action Alliance (AA) has said that the only legitimate and authentic governorship candidate of the party for the upcoming Anambra state governorship elections remains Chief John Okechukwu Ikeotuonye and the party has not substituted him with anybody.
A statement titled, ‘Disclaimer’ signed by the National Secretary of Action Alliance, Mr. Vernimbe James said that one Chief Ben Etiaba was making waves in a fake news publication, claiming to be the party’s candidate.
TheFact Nigeria reports that the Action Alliance insists the issue of who is the authentic candidate of AA is already a pre-election matter before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and all parties must maintain status quo.
It would be recalled that following the omission and replacement of the name of the Action Alliance party’s authentic governorship candidate Chief John Ikeotuonye, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), the party headed to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on July 27, 2021.
The Action Alliance’s ladership said that the claim by Chief Ben Etiaba is not correct, it’s misleading and should be disregarded by the Party faithful across Nigeria and the general public.
The AA National Secretary said: “The attention of the national leadership of our great Party, Action Alliance has been drawn to a fake news going round that one Chief Ben Etiaba is the candidate of Action Alliance for the upcoming November 2021 Anambra state governorship elections.
“We vehemently disclaim one Chief Ben Etiaba as the candidate of Action Alliance for the upcoming Anambra state governorship elections because he is not a member of our Party.
“John Okechukwu Ikeotuonye has the capacity to deliver dividends of democracy to the good people of Anambra state and Action Alliance leadership at all levels have confidence in him.”
The Action Alliance said that it is also in the public domain that the said Chief Ben Etiaba has been a member of the All Progressives Congresses, (APC) and resigned his APC membership on 4th August 2021.
By then, the time for substitution of candidates by political parties had since elapsed on 30th July 2021 according to INEC time table and schedules of activities for Anambra state governorship elections.
“And it’s therefore, not possible for him to have replaced the candidate of Action Alliance AA while having been a member of APC as at the time of substitution of candidates by political parties”, the National Secretary said.
