Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, has said the state chapter of the party is in support of the victory of former governor and leader of the party, Chief Timipre Sylva, at the governorship primary.
The primary election has elicited controversy with Sylva and chairman of the primary election committee, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, engaging in a war of words over the legitimacy of the exercise that produced the former governor as winner.
The controversy was made worse when the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, announced that the primary had been rescheduled due to what he called “security challenges”.
But Orunimighe, who insisted that the primary had been won and lost, said the rumour of cancellation of the election was baseless and unfounded.
He said, “As a chairman of Bayelsa APC, I am not aware of any cancellation of the primary. With all due respect to the National Chairman of our party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, he said nobody should make an announcement except they cleared with him.
“I want to believe that people who made statements from the national secretariat did not have clearance with him. As a state chairman, I am aware that the rumour of cancellation came even when we were on the election ground. It was all over the social media. I think it was made by one of their publicists. After that Odigie-Oyegun directed that nobody should make any statement without obtaining clearance from him.
“The national chairman is a man who knows his onions. Having set up an election panel, he knows the next thing is to wait for the outcome or report of the committee set up to administer the primary. Maybe they will set up an appeal committee. We are expecting that by Monday or Tuesday (today). So, I believe the cancellation rumour does not stand.
“For now, election has been held and I think that is how it stands. Chief Timipre Sylva won the primary conducted last Tuesday”.
The Baylesa APC chairman said he believed that some aspirants might be aggrieved, adding that the party was working towards harmonising their grievances ahead of the December 5 governorship poll.
Orunimighe also exonerated himself of allegations of bias during the primary, stressing that in a contest of that nature, tongues were bound to wag.
He stated, “I do not know who accused us. We are not biased. As a chairman, I believe that I have managed the party to the best of my ability. When it came to the period of voting, I was also a delegate”.
