‘Delegates’ PVCs bought at N10,000 ahead of Edo APC primaries’

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu

A governorship aspirant in Edo State, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Engr. Chris Osa Ogiemwonyi, has raised alarm over an alleged plan by some influential politicians to disenfranchise the party’s statutory delegates.
Mr. Akemokue Lukman, the director of planning, strategy and operations of Ogiemwonyi Campaign Organisation, who addressed journalists yesterday in Abuja, alleged that some lawmakers have started collecting the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) from delegates,  ahead of the APC governorship primary election in Benin, scheduled to hold on June 18.

He alleged that the PCVs were collected in exchange for N10, 000.
Mr Lukman, who said the move was an attempt to smuggle Mr Godwin Obaseki, the alleged preferred candidate of Governor Adams Oshiomhole into the contest through the back door, called on the affected delegates to go and collect their PVCs from the ward and local government chairmen.
He described the move as “unacceptable” to the generality of Edo people, party members and delegates, as well as the good people of Nigeria.
Lukman, who said the issue was serious because both the party’s membership card and the PVC would be used as means of accreditation during the APC governorship primary election, called on the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to arrest all those allegedly intimidating the delegates and asking them to submit their PVCs for “untoward purpose”.
But in a swift reaction, Mr  Obaseki, said, “I’m not sure Engr. Ogiemwonyi would have made a statement like that. He is too responsible to say such a thing. Nothing like that happens. I was in Auchi yesterday (Sunday), where Hon. Philip Shuaibu hosted about 400 delegates from Etsako.
“We were all seated there and they all (delegates) have their voter’s cards. So, for someone to make such an unguided statement, it is rather unfortunate. This is what we try to discourage in my campaign. We must run a campaign that is clean and truthful; a campaign that sticks to issues on ground.”