The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Monday confirmed that the party has met all the stipulated deadlines for the submission of the list of candidates for various categories of elective offices in the 2015 general election.

According to Oyegun, who spoke to THISDAY on the telephone, the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC thoroughly screened all the petitions brought to it and had since submitted its report which was considered before today’s deadline for substitution of candidates’ names at Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said the party was scheduled to meet on Monday to take a final look at the report of the NWC with regards to the petitions so as to ensure that all its candidates complied with the extant provisions of the Electoral Act.

However, youths and elders from the Delta State chapter of APC under the aegis of Delta Coalition for Change (DCC) yesterday besieged the national secretariat of the party to protest  against the alleged imposition of Mr. Yemi Emiko, as the senatorial candidate of the party for Delta South senatorial district.

The protesting youths carried placards accusing the party national chairman  of having a hand in the emergence of Emiko.

The youths led by Mr. Young Piero, attempted to padlock the main entrance of the party secretariat in protest against what they called injustice against the will of the people.

THISDAY gathered that the protests by the Delta group might have come very late as the party leadership had closed its door to any changes, having submitted its entire candidates list to INEC within the stipulated deadline.

Speaking with journalists, Piero claimed that Mr.  Temisan Omotseye, was the one actually declared winner out of the three aspirants who contested the senatorial primaries, while Emiko, came second at the contest.

He said how Emiko later became the candidate was a surprise to them.

In a protest letter addressed to Oyegun by the Delta State elders committee, signed by Senator F.S Okposo, Dr. Alex Ideh, Chief LJ Esigie and Chief F. F. Rewane, the group described the alleged imposition of Emiko as an ugly sign which they believed would damage the reputation of the party and possibly lead to chaos.

The letter read: “We the undersigned leaders shown below witnessed the primaries and seriously frown at the imposition of Emiko who did not win the primaries as our candidate for Delta South senatorial district.

“The people of the Delta South senatorial district have spoken by their votes and therefore the sanctity of the result of the votes must be respected.”

They also urged the NWC to do the right thing by declaring Omatseye the rightful winner to avoid “any unpleasant consequences which can affect the overall performance of the party in the state.”