By Emma Amaize & Festus Ahon

ASABA—FORMER Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, won the party’s Delta North senatorial primaries with 138 votes, yesterday.

But, obviously acting a script by one of the five aspirants, the chairman of the electoral panel and Returning Officer, Mr. Raphael Kukuh, who cited security reason, declared the exercise inconclusive and absconded from the venue to the chagrin of delegates and aspirants.

A former commissioner in the state, Mr. Paul Osaji, got 87 votes to place second, while Doris Ubor notched 37 votes to come third. Pascal Adigwe placed fourth with 27 votes and Mrs. Mariam Ali came last with four votes.

Misunderstanding during the primaries arose after seven of the 11 local government areas, Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Ika North East, Ika South, Ndokwa East and Ndokwa East had voted, remaining Oshimili South and Ukwuani.

One of the agents had raised objection on two or three names on the delegates’ list and openly attacked a youth leader in the area, who is one of the delegates. The police whisked him away, but Mrs. Ali insisted that they were infiltrators on the list.

The matter caused a delay in voting after which Nwaboshi’s camp, which was leading, agreed one or two persons should be disallowed from voting if that would pacify her.

However, the returning officer latched on the problem and threatened that he would cancel the primaries, which many thought was a joke.