Renowned economist, Pat Utomi and one of the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Delta State, has threatened to resign his membership of the APC if the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole fails to treat his petition fairly.
Prof Pat Utomi, who had corroborated earlier assertions by former Speaker, Rt. Hon Victor Ochei that there was no election, said he would send a formal petition to the national leadership of the party to do the right thing, but if it opts to uphold the illegality, “I will quietly resign my membership of the party.”
In a report BigPen Online sourced from Vanguard, Utomi, however dissociated himself from the parallel primaries by the Olorogun O’tega Emerhor/Cyril Ogodo faction of the party, which proclaimed him the party’s governorship standard-bearer for the 2019 general elections.
He said: “I was not in the place; I did not even know there was such until Monday morning when I was told the outcome.”
Prof Utomi, who raised the alarm about the primaries beforehand, said that he had up till press time (Tuesday) not set his eyes on the delegates’ list despite repeated requests from the party.
“Returning Officer, Major Gen Lawrence Onoja ( retd) spoke about peace, that and that, after which I raised a question that I have been asking for delegates’ list for some time and demanded that we should be given the list right away.
“Onoja looked to his left and right and said, we are a family, why not we go the field and act like a family. As we speak, I have not set my eyes on the delegates’ list.”
Continuing, he said: “I will petition the appropriate organ of the party, if I go through due process and they fail to do the right thing, if they decide that this is okay by them, then I will quietly resign my membership of the party, become non partisan, but never give up on the fight against obnoxious coup plotters, who plotted against the military, against civilians and against the constitution of the country.
“This cannot be the legacy we will leave for our children.”, he added.
BigPen Online recalls that the governorship Electoral Committee chairman, General Lawrence Onoja (rtd) who announced the result said Ogboru scored 3,292 votes to emerge winner, while Ochei scored 160 votes, Pat Utomi got 26 votes while Ojougboh polled 12 votes respectively.