Senator Oloriegbe faults APC primaries, accuses governors of handpicking delegates

The Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, has faulted the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries across the country.

Oloriegbe, who featured in a programme on Channels Television on Wednesday, decried violation of due process in the elections.

The lawmaker said 17 delegates who were supposed to vote for him returned the money he gave them for logistics and others.

Oloriegbe was defeated by Salihu Mustapha in the senatorial primary conducted in the district last month.

Mustapha polled 136 votes to defeat the lawmaker and one Yahaya Seriki in the exercise.

Read also:Kwara gov charges political appointees on compliance with Electoral Act

In the television programme, Oloriegbe accused Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq of handpicking delegates to vote in his interest during the election.

He said: “There was no congress; like in my state, the governor just handpicked the delegates one night and said we have done primaries and the list came. So, you don’t even know who the delegates were and this happened in several states.

“Even where people were selected, they should be given the freedom to exercise their franchise by voting for who they want, but it was not like that. The governors selected those to whom they would give instructions and some of them took an oath to vote where the governors direct them, and this was what happened in Kwara State.

“In my own election, 17 delegates came back to give me money which I gave them for logistics while others did not because they said ‘we wanted to vote for you, but we are not allowed to vote’. There was one of my colleagues in Kogi who mentioned that people came back to return his money.”

By Abdulkabeer Ambali

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