Anger Rages On Yala/Ogoja Constituency Primaries

Even as political parties have submitted the list of candidates to contest the April 2011 elections, protest is still raging over the stolen materials for PDP primaries in the area.

A PDP stalwart in the area, Mr Francis Oko, who led a group of protesters around Igoli and Okuku in Ogoja recently, said the protest was to express their anger to the PDP for failing to conduct  primaries for the Ogoja/ Yala Federal Constituency. “Materials for the Federal Constituency were stolen from the Ogoja police Area Command where they were kept by Emmanuel Okim, the  returning officer accompanied by Bobby Ekpenyong on the night of  6 January, 2011,” he alleged.

Mr Oko, leading other PDP faithful, said Mr Okim who went to Ogoja  with the mandate to conduct Federal House of Representatives Primaries “turned out to be the one who subverted the process by illegally removing the electoral materials to return Dr Rose Oko who is ill and not able to canvass for votes.

“Mr Okim carried out the instructions of Mr Alex Egbuna, the Chief of Staff To Senator Imoke who is disposed to Dr Rose Oko, knowing that she (Dr Oko) cannot win in a free and fair ballot  and thus sought the  obnoxious alternative of stealing the materials and filling the result in her favour.”

According to Oko and his team of protesters, “the materials meant for the primaries arrived Ogoja late at about 9 p.m. on  5 January for primaries originally scheduled for 4 January, and owing to the late arrival of the materials, the election was postponed till the next day but that same night, Mr Okim illegally removed the materials and  filled the result in favour of Dr Rose Oko.”

The group said but for the timely intervention of Rt Hon Gabriel Edie, the member Representing Ogoja and Yala in the House of Representatives, there would have been a break down of law and order.
“We ask the leadership of PDP to note the fact that Dr  Oko is ill and cannot represent us for now. She should be allowed to seek medical attention to recover her health and in subsequent elections, we can support her. We love her but she is not strong to speak for us now,” the placard carrying PDP youths declared.

They said “The claim that Dr Rose Oko is the PDP candidate for Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency negates constituted rules and guidelines of the party because no election was conducted and she is also ill.”

They threatened that should the PDP  insist on making Dr Oko the standard bearer for the party for the House of Representatives, then the party stands the risk of losing many members.

—Emma Una/ Calabar

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