The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has revealed that Tuesday’s governorship primary held in Bayelsa has been nullified, adding that a date will soon be announced for a rescheduled election.
National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Wednesday confirmed to newsmen in a telephone interview that the party’s primary held in Bayelsa State on September 22 had been rescheduled.
Odigie-Oyegun, who said this in Abuja, revealed that the primary had to be rescheduled as a result of security challenges.
“The primary has been rescheduled. It had to be called off due to security challenges,” he said.
Confirming the news further in a phone interview, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Congress (APC), Mr. Timi Frank, said the primary election did not hold in Bayelsa.
According to Frank, one of the aspirants and former Governor, Timipre Sylva, had held a member of the committee under duress to declare him the party’s candidate.
Frank also revealed that both committee chairman and its secretary were not part of the “kangaroo primary” and they were not present when Sylva was declared winner.
He said the party would soon come up with a position on the primary and choose a date when an acceptable primary election would be conducted.
“I am speaking as a concerned citizen of Bayelsa that this primary is not acceptable anywhere.
“In a situation where all other aspirants walked out of the venue and a particular aspirant put a member of the primary election committee under duress to declare him winner, while the chairman and secretary of the committee were not present, I believe the party will soon come up with a position on that fraud and schedule a date when an acceptable primary election will hold,” Frank said.
Results of the primary indicated that Sylva polled 726 votes to defeat his closest rival Timi Alaibe, a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), who got a total of 4 votes.
(DAILY SUN)
