By GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
FORTY- EIGHT hours after its conduct of the state and National Assembly primaries, the Edo State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] yesterday released the result amid frustrations, condemnations and protests by party members who accused the leadership of the party of skewing the results to favour certain aspirants.

In the result announced by the party state ACN publicity secretary, Chief Dan Owegie, former PDP Senator Ehigie Uzamere won the Edo South senatorial primaries, while Hebertta Okonofua and Domingo Obende were elected as the party’s candidate senatorial candidate for Edo Central and Edo North respectively.

Owegie, who did not give any reason for the delay in releasing the result of the primaries, also announced Peter Akpatason [Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency], Pally Iriase [Owan Federal Constituency], Fidelis Ogbejele [Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben Federal Constituency andChris Ebare [Esan North-East/Esan South-West Federal Constituency as winners.

According to him, while the result of Etsako Federal Constituency was yet to be released,  Oredo Federal Constituency was won by Mr. Razaq Bello-Osagie, Group Capt Jim Adun for Ikpoba-Okha/Egor Federal Constituency, Engr. Isaac Osahon and Samson Osagie were victorious in Ovia and Uhunmwode/Orhionmwon Federal Constituency respectively.

A university lecturer, Prof Mercy Obamogie, who contested along with Mathew Urhoghide and  Uzamere for the Edo South Senatorial ticket, described the actions of the leadership of  ACN as despicable, saying that she rejected the announcement of Uzamere as the winner of the primaries in its entirety.

Speaking in  similar vein, Edo State Commissioner for Arts and Culture, Hon. Abdul Oroh, who sought for the party’s ticket to represent his Owan people in the House of Representatives, alleged that voters were financially induced and intimidated, saying that the outcome of the primaries was pre-arranged.

Oroh, is said to have lost Pally Iriase, Secretary to Edo State Government.

Similarly, protesters from Oluku Ward 6 in a  letter signed by its chairman, Elder Samuel Obazee, said there were defined irregularities on the part of those who came to conduct the primaries in the ward.

Meanwhile, former  Director General of the Center for Democratic Studies (CDS), Prof.Omo Omoruyi, yesterday, described the House of Assembly and National Assembly primaries of the state chapter of the ACN  as a fraud, explaining that the exercise was marred due to the alleged ambition of a top official in the state  to take over power from Governor Adams Oshiomhole at the end of his tenure.

He alleged that “there is a secret cult going on  and if you are not in it you cannot succeed and that is what happened to my Dr Festus Imuetinya, my elder sister’s son whose name disappeared from the ballot paper”.

Omoruyi, who spoke to newsmen, while reacting to the exclusion of his nephew from the list of those contesting for the House of Assembly seat in Orhionmwon Local Government Council, asserted that “ I just read the list of those elected in the ACN Primaries and I want to say that thing is fraudulent.”