Ogun chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday complained about the “frustrating and unsatisfactory treatment” meted out to it by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party over the governorship primaries.
The Secretary to the state government (SSG), Barr. Taiwo Adeoluwa, expressed the position at a press conference in Abeokuta.
Adeoluwa who described himself as a stakeholder in the party said he addressed the conference on behalf of the party and all the good people of the state.
The SSG recalled how the party in the state had once adopted the direct mode of primaries and later changed to indirect mode because of non-availability of essential materials, such as an updated membership register and membership cards necessary for the direct mode.
He said the state chapter later reversed its decision and embraced the direct mode in conformity with the directive of the NWC of the party.
Adeoluwa noted that the NWC had continued to postpone the exercise which was originally scheduled for Saturday for the third time without official notice to the state party secretariat.
“For the third day running, the NWC has been rescheduling the governorship primaries and we have only been hearing this from the camp of one of the aspirants.
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“On each occasion, we have mobilised our people, deployed facilities and arranged necessary logistics costing huge funds, time and energy to ensure a successful primary.
“Today, we have even shut down public primary and secondary schools when we thought it would finally hold since the Election Committee from Abuja arrived in Abeokuta on Monday.
“We were surprised that the exercise has also been postponed as one of the election committee members whom I spoke with said the committee was under instruction from the National Chairman to reschedule the primaries for Wednesday.
“The committee member also informed me that they had brought ballot papers for the governorship primaries,” he said.
Adeoluwa argued that the idea of using ballot papers for the conduct of direct primaries runs contrary to the party guidelines on primary elections..
“It appears there is a script being directed by the National Chairman and we have it on good authority that he is determined and desperate to force a particular aspirant on us ,” he alleged.
He said the party would not participate in the primaries unless the NWC officially writes to the state chapter to affirm a date and explain why ballot papers should be used for the direct primaries.
Adeoluwa who pledged the support of the state for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 polls, urged him to call Oshiomhole to order.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
