The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has deployed more than 1,000 electoral officials across the state’s 305 wards as it conducts primary elections to select candidates for upcoming polls.

The party also confirmed the arrival of its monitoring and appeal committees in the state to supervise the exercise and address complaints arising from the process.

Spokesperson for the Imo APC, Dr Jones Onwuasoanya, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, noting that the primaries were already ongoing across ward collation centres in the state.

“The primary election for the election of ten standard bearers of our great Party is underway across the 305 political ward collation centres in the State,” he said.

Onwuasoanya explained that the exercise was being conducted through the party’s adopted direct primary system in line with constitutional and electoral guidelines governing internal party elections.

According to him, the deployment of officials was aimed at ensuring a transparent and credible process across all constituencies.

“To ensure a hitch-free, credible and transparent primary election across these constituencies, the Party has deployed over 1000 electoral officials from within its ranks to conduct the elections under the supervision of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” he stated.

He added that security arrangements had also been put in place to guarantee the safety of party members and officials participating in the exercise.

“Adequate security measures have also been put in place to ensure the safety of all Party members and officials who are involved in the primary election process,” he said.

The APC spokesperson further disclosed that the House of Representatives Primary Election Committee, chaired by Rear Admiral Williams Kayode, and the Appeal Committee, headed by Engr. Tuoyo Omatsuli had arrived in the state to oversee the process alongside the state party leadership.

He maintained that the party remained committed to a transparent process where the votes of members would determine the outcome of the primaries.

Onwuasoanya also urged aspirants and stakeholders to maintain order and cooperate with officials throughout the exercise.

The primaries form part of the APC’s preparations ahead of the forthcoming elections as political parties intensify candidate selection processes across the country.