…they should have removed my name from the result sheet

By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

The Commissioner for Works in Cross River state, Mr Dan Osim Asu has disassociated himself from the recently conducted controversial All Progressive Congress (APC) primary of the Boki\Ikom Federal Constituency by the party in Ikom.

Asu who is a frontline aspirant in the race for the office said if an urgent apology was not tendered to him he will seek legal redress.

The primary was earlier scheduled for Friday last week but could not hold and was rescheduled for Saturday yet it could not hold due to protest by the aspirants over the issue of the delegates list and consensus which they revealed had been altered while demanding for the original list of delegates.

Worried by this development, the Publicity Secretary of APC in the state, Mr. Erasmus Ekpang in a release said, “arising from the security breach that disrupted Saturday’s Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency Primary Election of the Party, and the aftermath of the meeting with aspirants and His Excellency Sen Prof Ben Ayade towards consensus building; pursuant to the need to comply with S.84 (9) (10) of the electoral act 2022. The Party has directed that primary election has been rescheduled for May 30, 2022 at Ikom Council hall”.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday in Calabar, Asu explained he was part of any affirmation that took place at IKOM.

He explained that during the meeting with the governor, His Excellency announced Victor Abang (AKA Mature) as the consensus candidate and he did not say anything even though there was a protest.

He said:” There was a protest which some aspirants said he was not part of and according to the law if there is no consensus everyone will go to the field.

“They went to Ikom and wrote something like the result. I was not there but in Calabar yet they wrote the result and put my name there and votes allocated to me. I am extremely angry and bitter about it. Not for a person of my reputation and standing.

“I don’t care how they did it but my grouse is how come I was not there and votes were allocated to me. I reject it in totality. I did not participate in the process; I was not there but in Calabar when it was done.

“I feel embarrassed that my name was there on the ballot. I reject it. How can you shave a man’s hair in his absence? I have to present my skull for my hair to be shaved. So I reject it in totality and if an apology is not tendered to me I will seek redress for my fundamental human right.

“I cannot be conscripted into a process where I was not there physically. I feel very bad about it and may seek a legal redress”.

Asu who expressed dismay with the entire process said he couldn’t have lost if he participated.

“How can you say I participated and lost? There is no way anybody can put me there that I participated and lost when I was not there and my agents were not there. They allocated 24 votes to me and 84 votes to the purported winner. They should have gone ahead and did their allocation or affirmation without putting my name.

“He mentioned as the consensus candidate and this is somebody who had purportedly stepped down for me on Saturday. I kept quiet and accepted the consensus arrangement in good faith. I came back to my house in Calabar and kept quiet.

“They should have gone ahead to do their affirmation without putting my name and embarrassing me and since I was not there my name should not have appeared on the result sheet. It’s vote allocation and will not accept my name to be used that way”.

Vanguard gathered that summary of the APC result sheet as signed by the Chairman of the APC Primary election committee, Mr. Eddy Aati, and Secretary is as follows: Joseph Ohiero scored Victor Abang 84 votes and Dan Osim Asu was given 24 votes.