A/Ibom delegates protest exclusion from accreditation at APC presidential primary

Some aggrieved delegates from Akwa Ibom State staged a protest on Tuesday at the special convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja, over their reported exclusion from the party’s presidential primary election.

Delegates at the primary election were first accredited at a section designed for that purpose before making their way to the voting centre.

But some delegates from Akwa Ibom State said they were being excluded from the exercise.

One of the protesters said the accreditation for delegates from Akwa Ibom was halted over a court order presented by the accreditation officer.

He said, “We came here since morning for accreditation. Over seven hours now, nothing is happening. So, we saw a guy here with a court order when we wanted to start accreditation.

“When he brought the court order, instead of giving it to the chairman, he gave a different person and he said they should stop the accreditation.

“Nobody saw the content of the court order, but they said it’s a court order. He didn’t read it but said it’s a court order for us to stop accreditation.

“If there is an issue, before you give people a court order, you must read for everyone to know who brought the court order.”

Last week, some APC members in Akwa Ibom kicked against the delegates’ list sent to the party’s headquarters.

A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Don Etiebet, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said the list was manipulated.