6—Niger Delta Voice, MARCH, MARCH 17, 2015
PODIUM…
CANDIDATE SWAPPING: In Delta, politicians are ‘dying,' ‘resurrecting' By Brisibe Perez
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APELE—A signed death certificate of All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Representatives candidate for Okpe, Uvwie & Sapele Federal Constituency, Delta State, Chief Christopher Anirah, sent to the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, is generating commotion in the state chapter of the party. In the letter dated January 15, signed by one Mr. Chidi Okonji, entitled Substitution of a Dead Candidate and another dated, January 20, addressed to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, purportedly signed by Chief Odigie-Oyegun, said: “The party is seeking to substitute the candidacy of Chief Anirah with Mr. Gibson Akporehe, following the demise of Chief Anirah.” Reacting to the news of his death, Chief Anirah in a chat with Niger Delta Voice, said the forged death certificate is the height political rascality, adding that the rumour of his death was being peddled by individuals bent on replacing his name as the party’s candidate ahead of forthcoming general election. He said: “There is no iota of truth in that statement. I have been introduced severally by the governorship candidate of our party, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as the APC flag bearer for Okpe, Uvwie & Sapele Federal Constituency and am very certain of victory at the polls.” “I am still alive and would be contesting the election on the platform of APC. Those peddling such rumours are my political detractors, who are bent on stealing the mandate of the electorate.” APC Deputy Chairman reacts Deputy Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Cyril Ogodo, said the controversy was part of the political manoeuvrings involved in a democratic setting, adding that the episode is centered on desperate moves by both individuals to outsmart each other. He said: ”I have seen counter papers from both individuals, including the one purportedly removing Akporehe, who was the original candidate that I submitted to the national body of the party. “Though I have heard from both sides, there are some documents with signed affidavits using some constitutional provisions that Gibson withdrew from the race and by virtue of my position, I have heard from both sides. “At a point, INEC had Akporehe’s name as the party’s candidate having won the primaries for the position, but persons from some quarters, who wanted somebody else, mysteriously assisted in the name's disappearance. “With the position of things, we (APC) can no longer say who is the right candidate; it is the court or INEC, after x-raying all the details surrounding both individuals, that can decide on who is C M Y K
The substitution letter.
Chief Anirah' certified dead.
LEFT: Chief Christopher Anirah... I'm not dead; I'm alive.
RIGHT: Mr. Gibson Akporehe.
Letter to INEC, allegedly from APC National Chairman. the right candidate. “As an individual, I think all these are normal in politics as there are the ingredients that make the soup sweet and we all know that whoever emerges as winner, the overall winner would be the party.
Notification of death allegedly from the Anirah family.
“But give and take, the unanswered question is: who went to INEC to change Gibson’s name with Anirah?” INEC's website Niger Delta Voice findings revealed that in the final list of presiden-
tial and National Assembly candidates for 2015 general elections, as displayed on the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as at the March 13, Chief Anirah is the APC candidate for Okpe, Uvwie & Sapele Federal Constituency.