The All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress holding nationwide today will not take place in Borno State as a result of logistic problem, the party has said.
In Bayelsa State, APC yesterday shifted its congress in deference to the marriage of the daughter of President Goodluck Jonathan holding in Yenagoa today in order to avoid a possible harassment from security operatives.
It has been postponed to Monday in Borno as a result of non-availability of electoral materials and the absence of supervisors from the National Headquarters of the party.
Speaking to journalists yesterday, the publicity secretary of the party in the state, Awwal Hamza said the supervisors sent by the national secretariat were still being expected.
He said they were expected to arrive the state on Friday and will supervise the congress which has now been rescheduled for Monday.
Though the delegates from the national secretariat were still being expected, both state and local government officials have been mobilised for the election.
The state government seems set for the election except for the inability of the electoral materials and absence of officials in Maiduguri.
Rumours are however spreading in the state that the postponement was as a result of some ballot papers discovered to be in the hands of some party stalwarts bent on manipulating the outcome of the exercise.
But this position was rubbished by the party spokesman who insisted that the congress was only postponed due to logistic problem.
The state chairman of the party, Chief Tiwei Timipa Orunimigha who disclosed his to newsmen in Yenagoa yesterday said that the congress will hold at a new date, but said that any other clash with an “unplanned” presidential event in the future will be viewed as an attempt to intimidate the party.
According to him, the APC congress which was scheduled to hold at the party secretariat cannot hold because presidential security have condoned off the area as it was close to the President’s Yenagoa home where the marriage is taking place.
It will be recalled that the APC is holding its congresses nationwide today.
Meanwhile, there was heightened security alert in Yenagoa yesterday, especially along the road where the APC secretariat was located following reports that former governor Timipre Sylva was in town to take part in the APC congress.
Following the report, all effort to ascertain his whereabouts proved abortive even as Orunmighe refused to confirm or deny his entrance into the state at a time the president was in town
