The All Progressives Congress chapters in states including Rivers, Benue, Oyo and Sokoto are currently facing crises arising from last week’s election of delegates for governorship primaries holding on Thursday.
Factional leaders and aspirants in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday alleged that elections were not held rather delegates were hand-picked by rival groups.
The APC initially scheduled its governorship primaries for Friday, but on Thursday it shifted it to May 26 following its failure to decide on delegates that would vote during the shadow election.
it was reported that congresses in Sokoto and Rivers were rocked by violence on Wednesday.
From all indications with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd.) delay in signing the amendment to the Electoral Act, only elected delegates who emerged from last week’s congresses would vote at the governorship primaries as the current Act bars statutory delegates from voting at the primaries.
With the impending non-participation of statutory delegates, including the President, the Vice-President, members of state and national assemblies, only five delegates elected from each of the 8,809 wards in the country would vote at the governorship primaries.
The disagreement among aspirants over elected delegates heightened on Sunday as they realised statutory delegates would not vote.
The faction loyal to Senator Magnus Abe in Rivers State said there was no delegate election in the state.
The APC in the state is currently polarised into two factions, one led by Abe and the other headed by a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi
The Abe factional chairman, Golden Chioma, in an interview with The PUNCH, said “You know that in our state we didn’t have a delegate election and we are still fighting that. People that bought forms were not allowed to contest. So, if people were not allowed to contest, it is not a valid process.
“The process was skewed in our state. So, to answer your question, I am not satisfied and you know it. A lot of people bought forms and were not allowed to compete for them. So why should I be happy?
But the state party spokesman, Chris Finebone, dismissed claims by the Abe-led faction that no delegate election took place in the state.
