Two of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship aspirants in the just concluded Primaries in Edo State, Chris Ogiemwonyi and Kenneth Imansuangbon, have rejected the outcome of the exercise.
They made the rejection at a joint press briefing yesterday at the campaign secretariat of Ogiemwonyi, where the aspirants urged the national leadership of the party and the State’s party Primaries Appeal Panel to order the repeat and resorting of all the ballot papers, used for the primaries.
They also called for the forensic analysis of the ballot papers and the finger print on the ballot papers.
Ogiemwonyi who spoke on behalf of Imansuangbon averred that a criminal investigation has become necessary because the party members hold the view that no one individual or group should be allowed to destroy the good image of APC and its leadership that is committed to free and fair primaries, and internal democracy and democratisation in Nigeria.
He further claimed that the announcement of the final result immediately provoked a general condemnation and rejection of the results by delegates of the primaries.
He said, “The delegates are unanimous that the figures that were allocated to the various aspirants were electronically manipulated and in clear contradiction of the pattern of their votes for their preferred aspirants.
“The smuggling of non-delegates into the venue of the primary to vote was a sign of desperate measures by the governor and its agent. They were successful in this bid because Edo State government was in full control of the venue of the primary.
“The open and direct interference into the voting process by the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on several occasions took the protest of some of the aspirants and the intervention of the chairman of the primaries committee, Alhaji Aminu Masari to persuade the Edo State governor to stay away from the table that was meant for the thumb printing of ballot papers by the delegates.”
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