Chima Anyaso Campaign Organisation Challenges Kalu Over INEC Records Request

Chima Anyaso Campaign Organisation Challenges Kalu Over INEC Records Request

The Chima Anyaso Campaign Organisation has challenged the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, over an application reportedly made by a legal practitioner to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking Certified True Copies (CTC) of documents relating to the Labour Party candidate for Bende Federal Constituency, Dr. Chimaobi Desmond Anyaso.

The organisation, in a press release issued on Thursday, said the application sought documents submitted by Anyaso when he contested the 2019 House of Representatives election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as records relating to his participation in the 2023 Abia State governorship election as the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

While stating that it had no objection to anyone exercising the lawful right to obtain public records, the campaign organisation questioned the need for what it described as the expenditure of resources on lawyers and administrative processes to obtain information that could have been requested directly from it.

The organisation said there was nothing to conceal concerning Anyaso’s identity or electoral records, stressing that the relevant information was available for legitimate scrutiny.

It maintained that Anyaso had consistently borne the name “Chimaobi Desmond Anyaso” throughout his life, adding that his former classmates, friends, associates and other persons who had known him for decades could attest to his identity.

The campaign organisation said any genuine legal or documentary concerns could be addressed through direct engagement, rather than what it described as an unnecessary search for discrepancies in official records.

It further urged the Deputy Speaker to channel resources and attention towards addressing what it described as shortcomings in some projects associated with his representation of the constituency.

According to the organisation, the 2027 political contest should focus on ideas, competence, development, effective representation and the future of Bende Federal Constituency, rather than what it described as attempts to manufacture controversies around the identity or records of political candidates.

The organisation reiterated that Anyaso, the Labour Party candidate for Bende Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election, had nothing to hide and was prepared to respond to any legitimate legal questions concerning his records.

It also expressed confidence in the Labour Party’s prospects in Bende, claiming that the people of the constituency had made their preference known ahead of the 2027 election.

The organisation urged anyone with legitimate legal concerns about Anyaso’s records to present them openly, assuring that the campaign would provide appropriate clarification where necessary.

The statement was signed by Promise Uzoma Okoro, ANIPR, Director, Media & Publicity, Chima Anyaso Campaign Organisation.