State, ended in deadlock on Tuesday.
The exercise was marred by violence, thuggery, intimidation of some aspirants and
meddlesomeness by some state party officials.
The Chairman of the Electoral Committee and Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams
Oshiomhole, was held hostage and was later smuggled out of the venue by
operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) and soldiers.
It was gathered that the governor escaped the angry youths under the pretence that
he was going to have his meal.
Trouble started in the morning before 8am, when thugs, suspected cultists and ex-
militants invaded the entrance of Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa, the
venue of the exercise.
The thugs hurled stones at delegates who lined up to be screened for the exercise
creating chaos and panic in the area.
The unruly crowd attacked the delegates and sent them running for their lives. Most
of the delegates especially persons said to be loyal to the former Managing Director,
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, could not return to
the venue.
The local government chairmen of the party in Sagbama, Ekeremor and Yenagoa,
were reportedly attacked and wounded by the thugs.
Over 1300 policemen led by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) were
deployed in the venue to maintain the peace.
Most of the delegates were shut out of the exercise and were not allowed access to
the venue of the primary.
The state Chairman of the party, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe, and some of his executive
members were visibly angry at Alaibe and freely attacked him verbally.
Alaibe maintained his cool as he uttered no word.
When the accreditation of the delegates started, most persons who presented
themselves for the exercise were said to be fake delegates in possession of cloned
voter cards.
The Master of the Ceremony (MC) announced that some persons with cloned cards
had been arrested and handed over to the police.
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