Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, an aspirant in the just concluded governorship primary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Anambra State, has dragged his party to court.
News Band reported that Ozigbo had petitioned the party’s Appeals Committee over the conduct of the exercise.
Ozigbo, who recently defected to the APC from the Labour Party, in a statement, described the APC governorship primary that took place on April 5, 2025 as “fraud and charade.”
In what appears to be a follow up to his action, in a statement on Friday, the business mogul said he has filed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the flawed process that produced Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu as the flagbearer of APC.
According to Ozigbo, Ukachukwu did not qualify to run under the APC in the first place.
He argued that Ukachukwu failed to meet the minimum threshold for eligibility and yet, the party machinery was manipulated to serve his ambition.
Ozigbo however, noted that after exhausting the party’s internal mechanism of writing to the Appeal Committees after both the flawed Delegate Congress and the Primary, he decided to take the matter to court.
The statement reads: “When institutions falter, it is the duty of conscience to rise. I have taken that stand—not for self, but for truth, for justice, and for Ndi Anambra.
“On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, I took a consequential step in fighting for truth and justice. I filed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the deeply flawed process that purportedly produced Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu as the flagbearer of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the November 2025 Anambra Governorship Election.
“Let us be clear: the April 5, 2025 exercise was not a primary election—it was a well-scripted illusion. A contrived delegate list filled with names unfamiliar to even the most seasoned party leaders was used for the guber primary.
“Real APC members were locked out while chaos reigned. No accreditation, no order; just thugs, violence, and a herd of hired hands masquerading as delegates. A predetermined outcome had been written before the game even began.
“That three aspirants withdrew from the race is telling. These men had recognised a set-up when they saw one. A primary is the party’s prerogative, yes; but the party must comply with its own rules. It must not make a mockery of its own constitution.
“The crux of the matter is that Mr Ukachukwu did not qualify to run under the APC in the first place. He failed to meet the minimum threshold for eligibility. And yet, the party machinery was twisted to serve his ambition.
“Now, Ukachukwu parades himself, declaring the theatre of deceit that April 5 represents as “free and fair.” It is an insult to the intelligence of our people and a stain on the integrity of our party. While he fiddles like Emperor Nero, APC in Anambra is burning. The house is on fire; mass resignations, lawsuits, broken trust and the so-called candidate dances, oblivious to the smoke and embers.
“But I see what Ukachukwu pretends not to see. I will not stand by while the moral architecture of our party collapses under the weight of fraud.
“Having exhausted our party’s internal mechanism of writing promptly to the Appeal Committees after both the flawed Delegate Congress and the Primary, I have taken this matter to court; not to chase shadows or titles but to defend the values that matter: Justice. Fairness. Due process. It is not merely my candidacy at stake but the soul of our party and, by extension, our democracy.
“To be clear, I am not desperate for power. I am not asking for favours. I seek only what is just, and what is right. I believe the APC can be a home for reform, for leadership, for progress. But we must be courageous enough to clean our house when wrong is done. We cannot afford to decorate deceit with silence.
“Our aim is not to fracture the party but to fortify it; to restore its integrity, renew its credibility, and secure its future as a vehicle for true democratic leadership.
“Let history record that when a corrupt process attempted to masquerade as legitimacy, we did not stay silent. We stood up. We spoke out. We acted for justice, for our children, and for the future we all deserve.”
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