One of the aspirants in the just-concluded governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa state, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has rejected the outcome of the exercise, saying it is a charade.
His reaction was coming moments after the party’s electoral panel declared Chief David Lyon as the winner of the primary, yesterday.
Lokpobiri, who is the immediate-past Minister of state for Agriculture, disclosed that the only authentic person in position to conduct and declare result of the governorship primaries is the Governor of Yobe state, Mai-Mala Buni, as was appointed by the national leadership of the party.
He said: “I have never seen where a governorship primaries starts in an hotel and ended in an hotel.”
According to the results announced by the Collation Officer, Senator Emmanuel Ocheja, Chief Lyon polled a total of 42,138, votes to defeat five other aspirants. While Mrs Desiye Nsirim came a distant second with 1,533, and Chief Ebitimi Amgbare came third with 633 votes.
Senator Heineken Lokpobiri polled 571 votes to come fourth while Prof. Ongoebi Etebu and Prince Preye Aganaba got 564 and 354 votes respectively.
Senator Ocheja, who was flanked by the other national and state officers of the party, said he was standing in for the Returning Officer and Governor of Yobe state.
He pointed out that six aspirants contested the election, saying the mode of the primaries was ‘Direct approach’ (Option A-4)’ adopted by stakeholders and leaders of the party in the state and ratified by the National Executive Committee (NEC), of the party.
The Minister of State for Petroleum and former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, told newsmen after voting in Okpoama ward 4, Brass LGA, that there is no time better than now for APC to take over Bayelsa state, adding that the candidate that will finally emerge as the party’s standard bearer will be far more better than whoever PDP has presented.
Sylva, who is the leader of APC in the state, said the primary election was peaceful and orderly, adding that members of the party are still in high spirit “and there is no doubt APC is going to win the Bayelsa governorship election come November 16.”
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