By Omon-Julius Onabu

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Party (APC) Wednesday, in a test of its democratic temper, experienced some hiccups during the party’s primary aimed at electing a standard-bearer in the upcoming Delta Central senatorial by-election.

One of the contestants in the primary, Mr. Festus Keyamo, stormed out of the venue at Ughelli Kingdom Hall, Ughelli, in Ughelli North Local Government Area.

Keyamo had come to the venue at about 3.02p.m, and publicly denounced the registration exercise of Tuesday and announced his withdrawal from the exercise, which he described as "rigged, concocted and designed to rig the process."

The fiery Lagos lawyer alleged that the registration of delegates from the eight local government areas, which make up Delta Central senatorial zone, for the primaries was fraught with irregularities, hijacking of materials and violence.

Keyamo claimed that the registration that took place at the Delta Hotel in Sapele could not have produced an authentic list of delegates as registration was conducted for Sapele, Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Ethiope West local government areas.

"The thugs of my opponent came to the place, hijacked the materials and went away to an unknown destination", Keyamo lamented, saying: "I will not be part of this fraud; because it is fraud, fraud; concocted to be rigged."

He said it was unfortunate that the state APC leadership was apparently unable to break with the past tradition of partisan politics by "sticking to the old order of fraudulent politics."

"As a party of progressives we must eschew these wicked acts of the past politics, of violence and rigging. This is not the brand of politics we want in Delta State. I attended Oharisi Primary School (pointing at the school opposite the Ughelli Hall); so I'm standing on the ground I was born, to say I will bring another brand of politics into Delta State, not this fraud."

Nonetheless, the Senator Osita Izunaso-led primary committee went ahead to conduct the exercise despite Keyamo's withdrawal, citing the APC Constitution as stipulating that voting should take place even in a situation where only one aspirant was left in a contest.

Izunaso, who is the National Organising Secretary of the APC, said this was "in line with the 2010 Electoral Act, as amended, and the APC Constitution.

The result announced by the APC committee last night stated that Chief O'Otega Emerhor polled a total of 1,674 votes, while Keyamo scored a total of 36 votes; and, therefore, declared the former as the winner of the primaries and thus the APC candidate for the by-election.

And excited about his victory, Emerhor noted, while addressing his supporters that: “This day you have elected me to carry the flag of APC as your candidate in this forth coming senatorial bye-election. I feel highly elated today that I have picked the ticket of our great party. This is not about my fight, but the fight for the future of the Urhobo nation and Delta as a state. The birth of APC was timely to provide alternative to our people. The party will provide a platform for people of Delta Central. Our people have not been well accommodated in the ruling party; they are being treated as second class citizens.

“With this ticket that I have picked today, we are going to fight for the upliftment of our people. This APC ticket is going to be very interesting, it will provide platform that can allow progressives in Delta Central to achieve their potentials.”

According to him, “It is a good thing that we have been able to conclude the primaries peacefully and we now have one candidate. This will provide basis for unity of all members of the party and this is time for all of us to work together under one platform. Opposition is not within but outside.”

Make apc try eliminate pdp system of voting before general election