By Simon Ebegbulem
THE House of Assembly aspirants who lost in the pri maries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state, yesterday called for the cancellation of the exercise and the resignation of the Edo South Vice-Chairman of the party and former deputy governor of the state, Chief Lucky Imasuen.

The aspirants who alleged that the leader of the party in Edo South manipulated the exercise in favour of some aspirants preferred by a “cabal”, also demanded the immediate constitution of an interim committee to run the affairs of the party in Oredo Local Government Council before the next congresses of the party, asserting that the House of Assembly primaries was a charade and an abuse to the nation’s democracy.

But reacting swiftly, Imasuen insisted that the exercise was free and fair, describing the allegation that he manipulated the exercise as rubbish and untrue, adding “those who are complaining lost woefully to the popular candidates.”

One of them ran to rest at the hospital claiming he was attacked and never participated in the exercise, so how will you win when you did not participate, he was never at the venue. So the call for my resignation is laughable and uncalled for”.

The seven aspirants led by Clifford Igbinoba, Jefferson Uwoghgiren and others insisted that “ the whole exercise was characterized by unwholesome interference and coercion of delegates, financial inducement, substitution of delegates, violence against aspirants, blackmail and threat of removal of perceived rigid ward chairmen.

“We chose to participate in the exercise in the now mistaken belief that the party was ready to turn a new leaf and shed its reprehensible records of imposition of candidates but the Vice Chairman South senatorial district, Mr Lucky Imasuen, for selfish and personal reasons threw spanner in the whole process and one week, wiped off rising goodwill the party had gained in the past months”.