TWO of the APC governorship aspirants, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi and Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon yesterday rejected the results of last Saturday’s primary and the candidate that emerged, Godwin Obaseki.
At a joint press briefing yesterday at the Ogiemwonyi campaign headquarters in Benin, the aspirants alleged that the ballot papers used for the voting were electronically manipulated to favour Obaseki.
The aspirants who appealed to the appeal panel to order a repeat and resorting of the ballots also accused Governor Adams Oshiomhole of physically intimidating delegates to vote for Obaseki.
Ogiemwonyi, who spoke for the duo, said 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 was committed to free and fair primaries and internal democracy and democratization in Nigeria.
Ogiemwonyi said that the announcement of the final result immediately provoked a general condemnation and rejection of the results by delegates that voted during the primaries.
He said: “The delegates were 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 his agents.
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 led to protest by some of us 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. The Governor did not pretend over his desire to intimidate the voters.
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