*No Votes for Statutory Delegates

* Parallel Primaries Hold in Edo

* Lagos PDP Seeks Cancellation of Polls

* Elumelu Wins Reps Ticket 

By Orkula Shaagee and Jude Opara, Abuja

The main opposition – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday conducted its primaries for the House of Representatives and the State Houses of Assembly primaries, without statutory delegates, including elected councillors, local government chairmen and their deputies, party chairmen in local government areas and six Abuja Area Councils, state and federal lawmakers, governors and their deputies, former Presidents and ex- Vice- Presidents, National Working Committee members, state party chairmen and secretaries, as voters at the primaries.

The primaries were also characterised by protests and disagreement  by aspirants and party leaders in some state chapters. 

In some f the state chapters, different factions held parallel primaries to signpost disagreement among party faithful.

In Edo State for instance, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday joined its counterparts across the country to conduct primaries to elect candidates for the state assembly as well as the House of Representatives.

However, reports said that parallel primaries were held by the two factions in the party simultaneously at different locations across the state.

From the faction loyal to Gov. Godwin Obaseki, only those who defected with him from the APC to the PDP had continued to emerge as winners.

Similarly, from the camp loyal to Chief Dan Orbih, National Vice Chairman, South-South of the PDP, only the old PDP members emerged winners.

Officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the primaries by the faction loyal to the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-South, but the same could not be said about the faction loyal to the governor.

A chieftain of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the primaries were not parallel.

According to the chieftain, the party primaries can only be done by the list certified by INEC for the purpose.

“You cannot build something on nothing. Elections were held to elect three adhoc delegates.

“It is only those three delegates that can participate in this election. And those three adhoc delegates elections were monitored by INEC, and they have the names of those who emerged.

“You cannot write names of people in Government House to now want to use to conduct election.

“Those on the list of the governor were never monitored by INEC in the election that led to their emergence. Where INEC is, is where primaries are being held,” the chieftain said.

Similarly, Adaze Ewanta, Edo Commissioner for Information, while commenting from the governor’s faction, dismissed reports of parallel primaries.

Ewanta described the exercise as free and fair.

Meanwhile results have begun to trickle in about candidates who emerged from the governor’s faction for some of the state assembly seats and House of Representatives.

Some of the candidates included Mr. Jimoh Ijegbai, House of Representatives Owan Federal constituency, Mr. Blessing Agbebaku, Owan West, Edo House of Assembly.

Others are Mr. Uyi Omosigho, Oredo East, constituency; Kaycee Osamwonyi, Uhunmwode constituency; Natasha Osawaru, Egor constituency; Mr. Sunny Aguebor, Oredo constituency, and Mr Aminu Okodo-Kadidi, Owan East constituency of the state assembly.

Lagos PDP Seeks  Cancellation of Primaries

The Lagos State chapter of the PDP, earlier yesterday urged the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to cancel the House of Assembly and House of Representatives primaries slated for Sunday in Lagos.

The PDP Chairman in Lagos State, Mr Philips Aivoji, made the call at a news conference he addressed alongside other state executives of the party, governorship aspirants and party leaders, in Ikeja.

He alleged the adhoc delegates’ list brought by the electoral committees for both primaries had been compromised.

Uncertainty and apprehension trailed the conduct of the primaries, as delegates and aspirants waited at various venues in local government areas for election officers from PDP national headquarters, who as at the time of filing this report, had yet to be seen at any of the venues.

“The entire executive committee of Lagos State PDP and five of the six gubernatorial aspirants reject in its entirety, the ad-hoc delegates’ list brought by the electoral committee to Lagos State for the purpose of conducting the primaries.

“We are all shocked to see that the list does not reflect the authentic elected ad-hoc delegates as conducted by organs of the party at ward level and supervised by the DSS and INEC.

“It is imperative to state that copies of the ad-hoc list that emanated from the state and submitted to INEC are completely different from the one brought by the committee for the purpose of the exercise.

“We realised that contrary to the provision of our great party and the electoral guidelines of the party, the election committee came to the state with list of venues and already chosen electoral officers,” Aivoji said.

According to him, this is the responsibility of the state executive committee of the party and, therefore, unacceptable.

He added that the chairman and secretary of the election committee meant to conduct the State House of Assembly primary election had not reported to the state chairman or state organ of the party.

“Up till this moment, we cannot reach out to the committee chairman and secretary, their telephones have either been switched off or unreachable.

“As law-abiding members of our great party, we collectively reject this list and we cannot guarantee, free, fair and credible party primaries that we have sworn to conduct.

“The processes have been compromised ab initio and skewed.

“We, therefore, call for outright cancellation of the election.

“Doing otherwise will jeopardise the chances of the party in the 2023 polls,” Aivoji said.

The chairman said that if the exercise would go on, it could lead to litigations.

He said that the process that brought about the authentic delegates’ list was done in consonance with the constitution of the party, as all relevant stakeholders were carried along.

“We want to know the person at the national level that gave them (electoral committee) the order not to consult the state executives in the exercise.

“We want to get this list right because, as we speak, we are toying with the lives of millions of Lagos residents.

“We have been in the valley for so long, this is an opportunity for us to get it right to win the general elections in the state.

“We must douse the tension now,” Aivoji said.

According to him, what the electoral committee intends to do is to cook up a list of candidates at a venue.

He said that if the party missed it now, it would be unfortunate.

Some of the PDP governorship candidates at the conference are Dr Ade Dosunmu and Messrs Olanrewaju Jim- Kamal, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and Adedeji Doherty. (NAN)

Elumelu Wins Reps Ticket 

Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, yesterday, secured a return ticket as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a third term to represent  Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency of Delta.

Elumelu on Sunday polled a total of 80 votes out of the total votes cast by 132 delegates at the House of Representatives primary election held in Asaba.

His closest rival, Princess Pat Ajudua, polled 35 votes while Mr Kanyinebi Mobushi got 17 votes.

The Returning Officer, Chief Funkekeme Solomon, declared Elumelu the winner of the contest for polling the highest number of votes in what he described as free, fair and transparent election.

According to Solomon, at the close of voting, 132 delegates were accredited, no void votes and all the votes were counted.

“At the end, Mr Kanyinebi Mobushi, scored 17 votes; Mrs Pat Ajudua, scored 35 votes while Mr Ndudi Elumelu, scored 80 votes.

” Elumelu, having scored the highest votes, is hereby declared winner and returned as the candidate of the PDP for the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election,” Solomon said.

Speaking after his declaration as the winner, Elumelu assured his constituents of more robust representation and dividends of democracy.

He said though he emerged top in the primaries, there was no loser as it was a family affair and not a contest.

Elumelu thanked the governor, the PDP and the people of the constituency for giving him the platform to serve.

He expressed confidence that PDP would win the general elections without hitch in the state and at the centre.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election was closely monitored by a combined team of security agencies, the media and other stakeholders. (NAN)