The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet today in Abuja to take a  final decision on the controversial governorship primary held in Bayelsa last Tuesday.

CEOAfrica source gathered that the leadership of the party would consider the report submitted by the seven-man electoral committee mandated to conduct the governorship primary.

It was learnt that the committee headed by the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole would table its report on the botched exercise which saw supporters of the two leading aspirants, former Governor Timipre Sylva and former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Timi Alaibe, clash at the venue of the event at the township stadium in Yenagoa.

“The party’s NWC is going to meet today in Abuja to consider the report of the primary election committee after which the party’s leadership is expected to give its final verdict on the matter,” said the party source.

APC had ordered the cancellation of the primary election following an alleged disruption of the exercise by thugs loyal to one of the contestants.

The  party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the primary would be rescheduled to a yet to be approved date.

Oyegun explained that the primary election had to be rescheduled as a result of security challenges occasioned by the intrusion by thugs and unwanted elements.

“The primary has been rescheduled. It had to be called off due to security challenges,” Oyegun said.

Reports  by Thisday had  it that  14 aspirants at the primary led by Timi Alaibe staged a walk-out during last Tuesday’s primary election alleging irregularities in the process.

While another report had it that the election went ahead even with the walkout by other contestants and that former Governor Sylva polled 726 votes to defeat his closest rival, Alaibe, who got four votes.

A total of 1,502 delegates were expected at the primary election while there were 19 aspirants.

The outcome of the Bayelsa governorship primary has since spark-off a row between the chairman of the electoral committee, Oshiomhole and Sylva with both men abusing each other.

While giving his own account of the botched primary, Oshiomhole accused thugs loyal to Sylva of invading the stadium, thus making it impossible for the exercise to be conducted in an orderly and credible manner.

However, in a counter statement signed by Mr. Doifie Buokoribo for the Sylva campaign organisation, the former Bayelsa governor insisted that he had been duly elected as the APC candidate for the December 5 governorship election in the state and that no amount of media manipulation can change that.

“Oyegun, does not have the powers to unilaterally annul a state primary election. This is a society of law and order,” he charged.

Meanwhile, a group under the umbrella Concerned Bayelsans for Change and Good Governance, has asked Oyegun to bar the two front runners in the party’s governorship primary election in the state, Sylva and Alaibe, from contesting the rescheduled primary election.

In a letter addressed to Oyegun and signed by Preye Dombraiyefa and  Francis Arifagha, President and Secretary of the group respectively they warned that the duo should be dropped from the race, in the interest of peace in the state.

In the letter titled: ‘Save Bayelsa, Save Niger-Delta,’ they said: “After exhaustive deliberations and critical appraisal of the gamut of events vis-a-vis the bloody turn out of the primaries and the danger the Edo State Governor escaped on September 19, 2015 at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, we resolved as follows:

“That in the interest of peace and the success of the party the duo of Sylva and Alaibe should be barred from contesting the primaries of the party.

“ That Bayelsans earnestly yearn for change, a progressive and productive government but neither Sylva nor Alaibe can engineer the birth of a government as encapsulated in the change mantra of the party oweing to their preference for violence, deceit and endangering the lives and property  of Bayelsans.

“ That neither the former governor nor the former Managing Director of NDDC possess the integrity, credibility and moral clout to wrest power from the hands of the PDP due to their stained antecedents.”

It stated further that Alaibe should be made to account for his stewardship while he served on the board of the NDDC.

The letter averred that “In accordance to the change mantra of the APC and the towering integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari and the expectations of Bayelsans, Alaibe should be investigated over his activities in the NDDC, Société Générale Bank, and the Amnesty Programme under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua”

The group also demanded that Sylva, “who allegedly squandered the collective patrimony of Bayelsans when he held sway as governor, should also be made to account for his stewardship.”

It added: “We have high regard for the President, the National Chairman of APC and the great national leader of the party- Bola Tinubu. Thus, we want to reiterate from the very beginning that if the ticket is given to any of the duo, the party should expect another Saraki-gate (disrespect, divided loyalty, upsurge in militancy in the oil region, corruption and anti-party activities).