ANXIETY yesterday gripped the political camp of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole following the loss of his three candidates in the Ogun Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, House of Assembly primaries held in the state.

The primaries initially held on Monday was annulled by the State Assembly Election Panel from Abuja led by Chief Obinwa Nnaji, which arrived Abeokuta at about 2.30pm and immediately ordered the cancellation.

However at yesterday’s election, Bankole’s candidates in his Abeokuta South Federal Constituency comprising of two State constituencies, Mr. Sarafa Ologunebi and Idowu Owolabi were defeated while his brother contesting in Odeda, Ganiyu Taiwo Bankole was also defeated.

The three aspirants had been defeated on Monday before the cancellation while Owolabi was said to have withdrawn from yesterday’s election citing allegation of skewing of the delegate list in favor of his opponent.

The Speaker’s brother, Ganiyu Bankole was defeated in Odeda by the factional Speaker of the House; Mr. Soyemi Coker while Ologunebi was defeated by the immediate past Secretary of Abeokuta South Local Government; Mr. Nurudeen Olaleye. Owolabi was defeated by Gbenga Ogunfolaji.

But the Jubril Martins-Kuye group led by Bashorun Dayo Soremi which organised its factional primaries on Monday refused to re-conduct the exercise, saying that the panel which annulled the elections had no right to do so.

Soremi in a statement gave reasons for the rejection of the directive, saying “the said Mr. Nnanji cannot give what he does not have. The powers to fix dates of primaries of our party has been exercised by the National, Working Committee, NWC, and confirmed by the National Executive Council NEC, of our great party.

No individual, or group, panel or panelists can exercise such authority except as a day-dream exercise in futility. The House of Assembly primaries in Ogun State conducted on January 3, 2011 was very peaceful as could be attested to by members of the press, SSS, police, CIB, INEC; we wonder why anybody could then be induced to create chaos, which is the predictable outcome of a so-called new primaries.

It was clear that the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and his faction, lost out woefully in the primaries conducted yesterday, as the authentic members of the party whose names are in Abuja voted overwheelmingly for our aspirants who have now emerged as our party candidates. Documentary evidence in form of pictures, video recordings, etc abound to show that our primaries were conducted properly and peaceful.

“We are aware that OGD has been boasting that he will warehouse any panel sent to Ogun State as he has the party National Chairman in his pocket with the backing of the Presidency. Though we tend not to believe this, however, if it appears to be real, then, this will signal a continuous support for illegality from the highest level and it would certainly not augur well for our party in Ogun State.”

We beleive in Nigerian constitution and the court of law, we believe in the rule of law. The Nnaji Committee went to OGD private residence, eat and drank and after handed over documents of the party even when the position of the NWC and Court on who is authentic Chairman of the party of the hramonized State Executives. This act is inimical to good governance, democracy, rule of law and participatory party politics.

We therefore categorically reject another OGD-induced House of Assembly Primaries in Ogun State. It is illegal, fraudulent, against the PDP costitution and an invitation to chaos.”