Governor of Edo State, Mr. Adams Oshiomole, was on Tuesday smuggled out of the venue of the Bayelsa State governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress.
This happened as the much awaited primary of the party ended in a deadlock.
Oshiomole, Chairman, Electoral Committee of the APC primary, was trapped in the Samson Siasia Sports Complex Complex, Yenagoa, venue of the election when youths loyal to former Governor Timipre Sylva stormed the area around 3.30pm.
The loyalists had stormed the area after Sylva had finished complaining to one of the national officers that the election was designed to scheme him out.
He had said the primary was skewed in favour of a particular aspirant by the national leadership of the party.
Sylva, who looked distraught, complained seriously that he would not accept the treatment being meted out to him by the national leadership.
No sooner had he finished expressing his displeasure than scores of his loyalists took over the area, chanting war songs.
The youth threw caution to the wind and started attacking Oshiomhole and the national leadership of the party.
At that point, the arena had been thrown into pandemonium as aspirants, delegates, journalists and other persons scampered for safety.
Oshiomhole, who was held hostage till about 5pm, could only escape from the venue with the help of operatives of the Department of State Security and soldiers.
The loyalists of Sylva, who announced to the crowds that accreditation was continuing by 5pm, wanted the Edo Governor to be there with them.
But Oshiomhole was said to have pulled a masterstroke when he told the members of the state Executive Committee of the party, who were bent on continuing the accreditation of delegates, that he was hungry and needed to go and eat.
“That was how Governor Adams Oshiomhole was able to escape from the venue,” one of the security operatives, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
As of 5pm, the Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, announced that accreditation of delegate would continue.
As of that time, some aspirants, including a major contender, Chief Timi Alaibe, had escaped from the venue for fear of being attacked.
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