Kogi Central primary: Obaro petitions APC NWC, claims victory

By Richard Elesho

A Kogi Central senatorial hopeful and Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the United Kingdom, Momoh Y. Obaro has alleged gross irregularities in the primary election of the party, ich was held across the zone on Monday, 18 May.

He has therefore asked the party leadership to either cancel the exercise or declare him the winner.

He made the appeal in his petition to the chairman Kogi central Primary Appeal Committee.

Former governor Yahaya Bello was declared the winner of the primary.

But in the petition which he also forwarded it to the National Working Committee of APC, Obaro challenged the integrity, conduct, and declared outcomes in a section of the media.

He alleged that the shadow poll was marred by procedural breaches, a lack of stakeholder engagement, widespread violence, and participation of an unqualified candidate.

He said in the face of the disorderliness, his agents remained steadfast and focused and were able to gather the authentic results that gave him victory. He said he scored 44,270 votes in the real result while his two opponents trailed behind with 20,092 and 1,985, respectively.

“We present these true figures herein and pray for the immediate nullification of the fraudulent results, a review of our evidence, and the recognition of the authentic, democratic will of the Kogi Central electorate.”

The aggrieved aspirant further alleged the participation of an unqualified person in the poll. “Participation of an Uncleared Individual. His Excellency, Yahaya Bello, ought not to have
appeared on the ballot for this primary election. He was not cleared by the party’s screening committee to participate in this specific exercise. Allowing an uncleared individual to participate actively compromises the legality of the entire primary and invalidates any numbers allocated to him.”

Obaro also revealed that at a time, the returning officers absconded to an unknown destination only to appear later with concocted results.

In conclusion, Obaro prayed the NWC to nullify the fraudulent results. “Review the photographic and video evidence of the actual results, alongside the official police reports of assault, submitted with this petition.

“Uphold and Declare the authentic results collated from the fields which clearly show Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro as the democratically elected candidate of the APC for the Kogi Central Senatorial District

“OR in the alternative, order a Fresh, Credible, and Transparent Primary Election for the Kogi Central Senatorial District to be strictly overseen by an unbiased committee, neutral federal
security agencies, and properly accredited INEC officials.

“We trust in the commitment of the NWC to justice, internal party democracy, and the preservation of the integrity of our great party.”