The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, at the weekend, revealed that he was offered money to accept the victory of the candidate of the party, Senator Andy Uba, in the just concluded governorship election.

Ngige, a former governor of the state, said he was aware that no primary election took place to nominate Uba as the standard bearer of the party in the state, but some people offered him money to accept that the election went well.

Ngige, who addressed members of the party on new year day in his community, Alor, said he rejected the money, because it was against his conscience.

“13 persons went for the election (primary) and I told them I do not have anointed aspirant. I told them it is God, who makes a governor; it is also God, who makes a president. I told them to go to the field and convince everyone to vote for them.

“I told them what was going to happen was direct primaries, either by secret ballot or option A4. These aspirants listened to me and used their hard earned money to run for the election.

“None of them is a thief or stole money, so they used their hard earned money and we did a primary election and we said everyone would go to their ward, that voting will take place from 8am to 4pm.
“I even came from Abuja to participate in the process. Somebody of my status could not vote.

I didn’t see any electoral materials here in Alor ward one. I am from this place, no electoral officials or materials except INEC officials. They were the only people, who came, our party officials never came.
“By 5pm, I called Governor Dapo Abiodun and told him nothing happened. I told him to postpone the election from Saturday to Monday he said okay, but they ended up announcing result.”

Ngige, however, failed to disclose who offered him money, saying, “At the end, they said I should come and take money and say the election held. I, Chris Ngige should come and take money and say an election that I never participated in has held?

“I told them I have all the money I needed, and that I have contested for all the positions I needed to contest for. It is only one position that I have not contested for. We are the founding fathers of this party, these were the same people, who stood against us in the early days of APC and called us Boko Haram party.

“Today, they are saying Ngige does not want people to come in and that I am now putting people, who are my brothers in position. Do not listen to them, they are lying.”
Speaking on the decision to make Uba the leader of the party in the state, Ngige said, “There is nothing like leader in APC constitution. If you want to answer leader, you answer, but there is no such thing in the constitution of the APC.

“2023 is the reason all these wayo people are here moving about. They have gone to collect money from people that they will work for them, but we will not allow them.
“Now, they are going about saying they have written the names of the people, who will become the ward, local government and state executive, but do not listen to them.

“It was the same way they wrote election results for Anambra election and were going about, but when they brought it, it was dismissed. It is same way they will dismiss the list they are bandying about today. We will hold a very credible congress in Anambra State.” (Courtesy THISDAY: Text, excluding headline)

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