By Amos Aar
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Appeal Committee, headed by Princess Uzoama Ocheama, on Monday in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, received petitions from its aggrieved governorship aspirants in Benue State who alleged that the just concluded gubernatorial primary election was full of falsification and unfairness.
Princess Ocheama, after listening to officials of Benue State APC chapter and the aggrieved aspirants, frowned at the alleged injustice in the conduct of the primary election and urged Benue State Working Committee of the APC to carry all aspirants along as members of one family, saying the law has no eyes and would take its course on anyone found guilty.
“When you are made the Chairman of the National Working Committee of our party, you become a person that is blinded, you cease to be an Ibo man, Hausa or Yoruba. That is why in the Court of Law, the Lady of Justice is blinded
“We have come, we have seen, we have heard and we will deliver our judgement according to justice and with the fear of God.
“I wish you what you wish yourself. If you wish yourself injustice, you will get injustice, if you wish yourself justice, you will get justice,” Ocheama said.
While Sen. Barnabas Gemade, Chief Mike Aõndoakaa and Prof. Terhemba Shija called for the cancellation of the result of the primary election, Hon. Matthias Byuan, who came second in the election after Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, requested the panel to declare him winner.
According to Byuan, the direct primary election was not conducted in other places and the only place where it took place was in Jechira, (Vandeikya and Konshisha local government areas) where he alleged that he won overwhelmingly.
In an interview with journalists at the side-line of the Panel’s sitting, Senator Barnabas Gemade advised the APC State Working Committee to take advantage of an extended time to re-conduct the primary election properly.
“There is still a window to do things properly, INEC has extended the time to 6th and 7th of June for national convention. So we have time, but we must use the method of primary election that is available to the party, not the one that is brought just on the side-line and the mess made of it by very unscrupulous people who want to use it for their personal advantage.”
Asked whether he would decamp to another party if his allegation was not looked into favourably, Gemade simply responded: “Don’t talk to me about defection or party, that is not on the card.”
