Utomi storms out of Delta State APC meeting as disagreement over direct or indirect primaries rage

DELTA State's chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to be in a total state of disarray after governorship hopeful Professor Pat Utomi stormed out of a meeting over the weekend as members disagreed on how to conduct its forthcoming primaries.

Like many other chapters of the APC, the Delta State branch of the party is divided over whether to hold direct or indirect primaries. One faction led by Chief Cyril Ogodo wants direct primaries to choose candidates in line with the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee’s decision, while the other faction led by Prophet Jones Erue wants to go the indirect method.

A former APC national chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun named Chief Ogodo as the state party chairman and he has the support of Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor and Chief Hyacinth Enuha, including a majority of the state governorship aspirants. However, Mr Oshiomhole, upon assumption of office, inaugurated Prophet Erue as chairman backed by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Chief Great Ogboru and since then, all efforts to reconcile the two factions had been futile.

Yesterday, governorship aspirant Professor Utomi, staged a walkout from the Erue-led faction meeting for endorsing the indirect primary contrary to the decision of the party leadership. Professor Utomi and Chief Ogboru’s supporters clashed at the meeting venue because some party leaders allegedly wanted to stop the governorship aspirant's speech.

Professor Utomi said: “Those who claim to be very popular should come and test their popularity with the party members through direct primaries and not through handpicked delegate elections.”

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting in Asaba, the Utomi faction commended the party leadership for its decision to entrench internal democracy through the use of direct primary to choose its candidates. However, the Erue-led faction said that it took the decision to support indirect primaries due to the heightened security situation in the state and to avoid a repeat of the tension during the last congresses that led to the death of a ward chairmanship aspirant in Ughelli South Local Government Area.