National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency executive members and loyalists in the Okaikoi Central Constituency (OKC) have petitioned the national party to suspend the impending branch elections.
This intervention, they said, is necessitated to stop alleged illegality, manipulation and total disregard for the party’s directives and guidelines by the Constituency Chairman Ibrahim Musa and the Elections Director Abubakar Mohammed for the area elections.
The Constituency executives alleged that the Chairman and the Elections Director confiscated registers and truncated the registration exercises for nine branches throughout the process without justification.
“The Branches involved are 1. Fadama Central Mosque 1, 2. Fadama Central Mosque 2, 3. Fadama Central Mosque 3, 4. Presby Church C, 5. Presby Church D, 6. Blessed Assurance School B, 7. Blessed Assurance School 2, 8. Apostolic Church and 9. CPC D.”
“Upon the intervention of the Regional Chairman and some regional executives, the books were released on Tuesday 27th September, 2022 for the processes leading to the branch elections to commence.”
“To the surprise and dismay of branch executives and the ward coordinator, the books have been tampered with. There were massive importations of names of persons who are not known in the catchment areas of the affected Branches,” the petition said.
According to the petitioners, almost all the persons issued with Branch Executive Nomination forms to contest various positions at these branches could not tell the name of their own branch or the positions they wish to contest when they appeared before the Vetting Committee on Wednesday.
“They could also not tell their meeting place and do not know any of the branch executives of the branches they want to contest,” the petitioners said.
The Constituency Executives called on the party to immediately suspend the elections at these branches until the concerns raised have been addressed to satisfaction.
