The committee deployed by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to conduct legislative primaries in Ogun State has indicted the state executive of the party for alleged fraud.
The committee, headed by Colonel Abubakar Chiroma (retd), declared that the process of the primaries for National and State Assembly seats “was heavily compromised and surrendered to the Ogun State government officials and the party executive members.”
The indictment was contained in a report submitted to the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, a copy of which was obtained by New Telegraph yesterday.
The report, dated October 9, 2018, was signed by a member of the election committee, Okey Nnonyelu.
According to the report, the NWC representatives were only privileged to visit two wards within Abeokuta metropolis, out of the 236 wards that make up Ogun State.
Nnonyelu alleged that the state leadership of APC hijacked the entire primaries to favour particular aspirants who had all emerged as candidates.
He added that the manipulation of the exercise began to play out on Saturday, October 6, the evening of the day they checked in, at the Green Legacy Hotel, Abiola Way, Abeokuta, where the committee held its maiden briefing and inaugural meeting.
He also claimed that the state protocol officials made a surprise visit to their hotel at about 8:00pn and evacuated all the committee members to MITROS Hotel, which belongs to the state government.
The report partly read, “During the exercise, the committee visited two wards (within Abeokuta metropolis) out of the 236 wards of Ogun State, more so, the ugly experience witnessed in the two wards, made the committee to retire to the MITROS Hotel.
“While all committee members were in the hotel, the collated results were brought in batches at about 21:00 hrs by a fair complexion man, who introduced himself as the Chief of Staff to the Ogun State Party Chairman.
“Enquiry from my committee chairman, why we surrendered our mandate to both the machinery of Ogun State Chairman and the Party at the state level has not yielded any positive result. My submission and as can be verified and attested to, by other members, is hereby affirmed.
“From the above analysis, I wish to inform Your Excellency that the entire process was heavily compromised and surrendered to the Ogun State government officials and the party exco members.
“The state chapter led by Chief Derin Adebiyi; recruited the returning officers, conducted the primaries, collated and submitted the results to the committee for declaration and submission to the National Working Committee.”
But in a swift reaction, the state APC Chairman, Chief Derin Adebiyi, denied that his leadership hijacked the conduct of the legislative primaries.
According to him, the exercise was conducted by the election committee sent from Abuja by the NWC.
Adebiyi, in a telephone interview, accused the author of the report of allegedly doing the bidding of certain persons afraid of the outcome of the primaries.
The party chairman added that though he was not aware of the report, he said the author needed to be examined.
It will be recalled that Governor Ibikunle Amosun and aspirants loyal to him were declared winners of virtually all the legislative seats during the recent APC primaries.
