From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
A chieftain of All progressive Congress (APC) and the state House of Assembly hopeful for Okehi Constituency in kogi state, Hon. Garba H. Avidime was allegedly beaten and chased out of the party primary election venue at Obangede on Thursday.
Our correspondent learnt that the Aspirant and his agent received a raw deal in the hands of some hooligans suspected to be thugs for questioning the process of the party primary election.
Trouble was said to have started when the agent of the Aspirant demanded the confirmation of authentic delegate lists before commencing accreditation and voting.
It was gathered that the Agent’s request was said to have angered an interest group, and in the ensued altercation, the Aspirant and his agent were harrassed and subsequently beaten and chased away by hooligans suspected to be loyal to his rival, and result declared thereafter.
Speaking on the incident, Hon Garba said the problem was sparked off by the Okehi Council Chairman, Hon. Abdulraheem Ohiare when he disallowed his agent to check the delegate lists as requested by the law before accreditation and voting .
He said the council chairman told him that his agent has no right to check the delegate lists with the returning officer, except him, the sitting Chairman of the council.
According to him, when his agent stood his ground, the chairman ordered him to be chased out of the place after his aides had slapped him, stressing that he was given the same treatment by the chairman himself when he reported the behaviour of his aides to his agent.
”I was humiliated, slapped by the sitting Chairman of the LG, Hon. Abdulraheem Ohiare in the present of Hon. Commissioner of the LG and Chieftaincy Affair, Hon. Barrister Deedat Abdulsalam at the venue of the party primary election for raising an eyebrow to on going proceedings.
Hon. Garba added that ”before I was chased out of the venue, the main delegate lists was set aside and some set of people were brought in as delegates which they used for the election and declared Alhassan Zakari Otokiti as winner with allocated votes of 52 and reserved 3 votes for me”.
Hon. Garba said he has reported the matter to the police, and has petitioned the conduct and the ugly treatment melted to him, agent and supporters to the state and national body of the party for redress.
Source close to the Returning officer who craved for anonymity claimed that the party primary election was held with the genuine and accredited delegates, and the winner was declared, stressing that allegation of manipulation was unfounded and baseless.
Our correspondent’s effort to speak to the council chairman and the Returning officer, Mr. Ozigi Jimoh Omeiza over the allegations did not yield result .
