Delta South primary: Four APC senatorial aspirants protest exclusion

FOUR All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirants in Delta South Senatorial District have protested their exclusion from the party’s primary election even as they dismissed the Delta South Senatorial Primary as a sham.

Decrying claims through media reports that they were all disqualified and that only one aspirant was cleared for the contest, the four aspirants said they have not been given any reason for their alleged disqualification, adding that they attended the oral interviews and met all the requirements set out by the party to contest for the senatorial ticket.

In a statement made available to The Nation, the four aspirants, Temisan Omatseye, High Chief Michael Johnny, Evans Omatsoguwa, and AVM Omatsola Okorodudu (retd), petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the party. They called on the party’s hierarchy to urgently address the problem.

They noted that they paid the sum of N7million, being the cost for the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, picked and filled nomination forms and followed every process before embarking on electioneering campaign. Based on these, they decried their exclusion from the primary.

The statement read in part: “We the undersigned, being members of the All Progressives Congress and having paid the seven million naira being cost of expression of interest and nomination forms to contest for the Delta South Senatorial District would like to draw the attention of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, members of the APC worldwide and Nigerians at large on the unfortunate incident that is happening in our party most especially as it relates to the recently conducted scam called senatorial primary that took place in Oleh, Delta State.

“Based on the electoral guidelines as issued by the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC), we took it upon ourselves to pay and collect the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, filled out same and submitted to the Director of Administration of the APC and all this was duly acknowledged.

“We were all invited for screening at Abuja and were all screened by the team appointed by the NWC and chaired by former Senate President Ken Nnamani on Friday 21st September 2018 at the Ladi Kwali hall, Sheraton Hotel Abuja.

“Based on the oral discussion during the screening process we were informed that our certificates to confirm us being cleared to contest for the primaries will be forwarded to us before the conduct of the primaries. On the basis of that communication, we all set out to our various locations to continue with our campaigns scheduled for 2nd October 2018.

“There was no further communication from the APC National Headquarters to all the undersigned and based on this we preceded to the election venue on the said 2nd October 2018. While at the venue, we were informed that a publication had been released by the APC that only one person had been cleared to contest the primary election and that we the remaining four contestants had been technically disqualified by the APC.

“Naturally, we found this very difficult to believe and refused to rely on the mere publication of the news media considering the amount of fake news that is making the rounds… We waited for a direct communication from the APC on reasons being adduced by them for the so-called technical disqualification as they have all our phone numbers.

“Prior to the publication being made, all aspirants had made efforts to mobilise all statutory delegates from the eight local governments consisting of Bomadi, Burutu, Isoko South, Isoko North, Patani, Warri South, Warri South West, Warri North and all the 87 wards that make up the Delta South Senatorial District to Oleh being the senatorial zonal headquarters.

“Having spent from 8am to 6pm at the venue, we were again informed through the social media that the APC had postponed all senatorial primaries to the 3rd of October 2018 at 9am. Once again the party did not deem it fit, out of courtesy, to communicate same to all aspirants through their respective phone numbers.

”Meanwhile, the only cleared candidate had inundated the social media with claims of him being unopposed, a claim that is false as neither the delegates nor the other four aspirants got together to endorse him in any form.”