The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has said that the disputed party’s governorship primary election in Bayelsa State has been rescheduled to another date.

Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke to journalists in Abuja yesterday, said the exercise had to be rescheduled as a result of security challenges.

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

Fourteen out of the 19 aspirants led by Timi Alaibe staged a walk-out at the Samson Siasia Stadium venue in Yenagoa, alleging irregularities in the process.

The chairman of the seven-man electoral committee for the primary election and Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole was said to have been smuggled out of the venue when the situation became rancorous.

On his part, the APC deputy national publicity secretary, Comrade Timi Frank, said the exercise did not hold as planned, accusing one of the aspirants and a former Bayelsa State governor Timipre Sylva of forcing a member of the electoral committee to declare him the party’s candidate under duress.

Frank also claimed that both the committee chairman and secretary were not part of the exercise as they were not present when Sylva was declared winner of the primary.

He said, “In a situation where all other aspirants walked out of the venue and a particular aspirant put a member of the primary election committee under duress to declare him winner, while the chairman and secretary of the committee were not present.