The chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Odigie-Oyegun on Wednesday confirmed that the Bayelsa State APC primary which held on September 22, has been rescheduled.
Odigie-Oyegun said: “The primary has been rescheduled. It had to be called off due to security challenges.”
Recall that 14 aspirants at the primary led by Timi Alaibe staged a walk-out alleging irregularities in the process.
Report has it that the chairman of the committee for the primary, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state was shielded out of the venue of the event, which was held at the Yenagoa stadium, to avoid being lynched.
Confirming the news further in a telephone interview, deputy national publicity secretary of APC, Comrade Timi Frank, said the primary election did not hold in Bayelsa.
As stated by 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.
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.
Frank said: “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 is unacceptable.
“I believe the party will soon come up with a position on that fraud called primary election and schedule a date when an acceptable primary election will hold.”
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 (NNDC) who got four votes.
A total of 1,502 delegates were expected to participate in the primary election which had 19 aspirants contesting as the party's standard bearer.