Controversial retired army general wins Edo PDP governorship ticket as co-contestants kick

Mirred-in-controversy retired Nigerian Army General, Charles Ehigie Aiwiriavbere, has emerged the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the July 14, 2012 Edo State governorship election.
Aiwiriavbere emerged on Saturday at the primaries of the PDP in Benin City, Edo State.
But his co-contestants for the ticket have rejected the outcome of the primaries, alleging it was ,amipulated in favour of the retired general by chieftains of the party.

In fact, the co-contestants walked out of the venue of the primaries before the announcement of the result.
Aiwiriavbere, a former Commander of the Army Finance Corps, won the primaries, held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium by 403 votes.
Ken Imasuagbon had 178 votes; Mathew Iduoriyekenwen, 94 votes; a former Minister, Julius Ihonvbere, polled 24 votes; and a former Governor of the state, Prof. Osarhiemen Osunbor, scored 22 votes.
Three of the contestants walked out of the venue before the announcement of the result, promising to issue statements on their positions.
Aiwiriavebere’s main challenger for the governorship election will be the incumbent, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
Before the primaries, Aiwiriavbere had been dragged before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations of fraud.
He was dragged before the EFCC by a human rights activist for allegedly embezzling part of the entitlements of the 27 soldiers that were initially jailed for life for mutiny but had the sentences commuted to discharge from service.
According to the story, which was first exclusively reported by The Eagle Online, the human rights activist who dragged Aiwiriavbere before the EFCC, Shehu Omar Mohammed, wants the anti-graft agency to investigate allegations that the governorship aspirant knows about the missing money that should have been for the payment of the now discharged soldiers.
Mohammed, in the petition dated February 7, 2012, said in part: “Their (27 soldiers who returned from Liberia without full entitlements) allowances were diverted by some senior military officers who set them up, got them dismissed and tried for mutiny. Whereas, their offences was because they had the effrontery to ask for their well-deserved dues.”
Mohammed said owing to the alleged involvement of Aiwiriavbere in the partial payment of the soldiers, the Nigerian Army heirarchy had to let him go, adding that the general was not properly disengaged from service.
He said: “He was for the acts he committed arrested, detained and eventually sent to Kuru as instructor by General (Azubuike) Ihejieruka.”
Mohammed added: “It is on record that every soldier on the Liberia assignment was due to $1,000 per month.
“They got $600 per month.
“As the Army Director of Finance and Administration (ADAFA), he could not account for $400 per soldier per month.
“Rather, he sacrificed the career and put the family of the 27 soldiers on the line for his own selfish reasons.
“As at July 2011, he was said to have over N5 billion in his private account.”