No Delta South Senatorial primary held ― AVM Okororudu cries out

ONE of the Delta South Senatorial District aspirants, Air Vice Marshall Terry Okororudu, on Thursday, stated that no Delta South Senatorial District primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), held on Wednesday at Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area.

The retired Air Force boss said the purported declaration of former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan as unopposed candidate to represent the party in 2019 was a ruse, a rumour and a joke taken too far.

He, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to intervene in the interest of peace, fairness and justice.

Speaking with journalists in his abode at Bendel Estate in Warri on Thursday, AVM Okororudu said himself and other three purportedly screened out aspirants were not communicated with by the National Working Committee before the kangaroo primary held.

He said himself and other three aspirants with their delegates were at the venue of the primary at Oleh on October 2 from 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m the original date the primary was to hold only to hear later that it had been postponed to Wednesday, October 3.

He further noted that on Wednesday the rescheduled day, his delegates and others’ were present at the Civic Centre in Oleh and there was no accreditation as required by law only to here at about 4:00 p.m that some elements had met and held a purported declaration of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan as an unopposed candidate.

He described the drama as undemocratic, a disregard and disrespect for the people of the Delta South Senatorial District, whom he called upon to rise and defend their rights to choose their representatives.

AVM Okororudu urged President Buhari, whom he described as the number one incorruptible leader in the world, to be acquainted with happenings in Delta APC in order to “put the potential anarchic situation to rest.”

“It makes no sense how my name will just disappear from the list of screened aspirants. I, a Two-Star General, was treated with such disdain and disregard.

“Nigerians should resist such brigandage. People should not stand for such a system. There should be peaceful protest.

“There was no APC Delta South Senatorial primary. There was none. It was a voodoo exercise. We should all stand against this.

“How did they come about sole candidate in the district? The delegates were taken for a ride. No one spoke to me.

“If they wanted a sole candidate, they should have called the stakeholders involved together to discuss, after all, we’re not children.

“We will register our protest against the fake affirmation, mafia-like activity of the group that gave the voodoo affirmation to Uduaghan,” he vowed.

He warned that if things are not done right and the party united ahead of the 2019 general elections, the APC may lose outright on all fronts in the state.

It will be recalled that Dr Uduaghan was, on Wednesday, affirmed as the Delta South Senatorial candidate of the APC to contest in the 2019 general elections by the Rtd Gen. Laurence Onoja-led Primary Election Panel.

AVM Okororudu, Chief Michael Johnny and two others were screened out of the Delta South Senatorial District primary aspirant list, leaving Uduaghan unopposed and his subsequent affirmation.