Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said the former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon Elizabeth Ativie, resigned from the party for reasons contrary to what she claimed in her press conference.
The party said, Ativie left because she failed to substitute the name of the winner of the primary election where she came a distant third when the party was picking the House of Representatives candidate for Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde federal constituency.
A statement in Benin City by the state publicity secretary of the party, Uwadiae Igbingie said the party was also aware that Ativie was already holding meetings with the Labour Party with the intention of joining the party.
Recall that Ativie had alleged that the primary election of the party was controversial and that the party did not heed the First Lady, Aisha Buhari and the national secretariat of the party’s directive that a percentage of all elective positions must be reserved for female aspirants.
But Uwadiae in the statement said, “It will interest the curious public to know that APC conducted the freest, fairest primaries and convention to elect our respective candidates to the various political positions throughout the federation.
“In the primary for the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde federal constituency, Hon. (Mrs.) Elizabeth Ativie participated and came a distant 3rd and last.
“Our party was thrown into political consternation and aghast, when it was discovered that sooner than the result of the primary was released, that Hon. Elizabeth Ativie in connivance with her political co-travelers futilely attempted to change the submitted name of Dr. Billy Osawaru duly recognized by our party and INEC that monitored the primary with her name, an act that is not only an electoral fraud, which is an infraction on the party constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, but also a desperate and calculated attempt to bring our chapter of the party to disrepute.
“The APC, want to also use this medium to assure the good women of our party, of their recognition by the party. A clear demonstration of that unflinching and undiluted belief in them and also to accord them that unparalleled recognition, was the fact that the party gave the forms to all elective positions to the women free of charge while it was only the Expression of Interest Forms that were paid for by them.
“Our party shall continue to recognize women in our scheme of dealings. It will also be important to state here and now that women have been appointed into key positions in the campaign committees of our presidential candidate and the same was replicated in all the campaign committees from state governorship, senatorial, and House of Representatives to state assemblies.
“APC in Edo State remains united and will not be distracted by the callous and baseless moves by the already near irrelevant individual in the political space of Edo State.”
