Controversies have trailed the House of Assembly and House of Representatives primary elections by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State on Sunday.
From Obafemi-Owode Owode to Abeokuta North, Ewekoro to Odeda, Ijebu East to Ogun Waterside local government areas and other parts of the State, alleged reports of doctoring and outright swapping of the delegates list certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) marred the exercise.
A total of 708 adhoc delegates and 20 National delegates emerged from the ward congress and local government area congress held in April by the party and monitored by INEC.
But it was alleged that the INEC-certified delegates list was with another one that was generated by some party chieftains to skew the outcome of the exercise in their favour.
“In view of the fact that the alleged action to replace the certified delegates list with another one, it is clearly in flagrant violation of Section 82 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022, the aggrieved parties or delegates are at liberty to seek redress in the court of law,” a lawyer, Babatunde Ogunse, said.
“In Ifo Local Government Area, attacks were unleashed on the delegates from Ewekoro PDP who went to Ifo to participate in the primary election to choose the party’s candidate for the House of Representatives for Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency.
“The injured delegates and those who luckily escaped these physical attacks unharmed from Ewekoro Local Government have vowed to stay away from the rescheduled primary slated for 9am on Monday, if the said primary election will still hold at Ifo.
“Some of the state party officials with active connivance of some persons in Abuja are consciously subverting the authentic and legitimate delegates lists with forged ones that did not emanate from the legitimate congress duly monitored, signed and approved by INEC,” an aspirant alleged
Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abeokuta North and Obafemi/Owode local government areas Alhaji Akeem Anifowose and Mr Muyiwa Ojebiyi on Sunday night said that there were no primary elections for the State House of Assembly and House of Representatives in the two local government areas.
Anifowose and Ojebiyi said the election could not hold because of disagreement following attempts to use questionable delegates list purportedly from the National Headquarters of PDP by some members of the party to conduct the primary.
The chairmen told newsmen that they were also not part the ‘kangaroo’ gathering of delegates and supporters of the party at State Party Secretariat, Abeokuta, the state capital for illegal party primaries.
Anifowose and Ojebiyi said although the primary elections were supposed to have commenced in the morning but was delayed till 5pm following suspicious manipulation which resulted in the late arrival of materials from party officials in Abuja and the state.
They, however, noted that after the verification of the certified authentic delegates lists duly signed by the INEC Headquarters, Abuja, by the Local Government Party chairmen, aspirants and delegates in the presence of INEC officials and security agencies, some politicians stormed the venues of the primaries with the alleged questionable delegates lists and attempted to foist them on the people but it was rejected and in the ensuing commotion, everybody dispersed and went away.
The chairmen also alleged that the State Working Committee (SWC), was planning to conduct illegal party primaries to elect candidates for state constituencies and Federal Constituencies ahead of 2023 general elections.
They said such steps, if taken at the State Secretariat, would translate to a violation of the Electoral Act, 2022.
According to the two chairmen, there were noticeable discrepancies in the lists of delegates that the returning officers appointed by the party and the ones signed and stamped by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Headquarters which were later certified and handed over to them.
The chairmen also declared that they would never be part of any exercise that may take place outside the designated places and urged the PDP National Secretariat to intervene in the matter in the interest of peace and the party.
Ogun PDP chairman, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele said the late arrival of election materials caused the delay, adding that of the 20 local government areas, the party primaries had been concluded in just two local governments – Ipokia and Ijebu North.
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