PDP States Primaries Result
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to be fairing ahead on their state primaries result amidst turbulent storms and internal crisis.
The governors easily scaled through, winning their return tickets with ease in Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Plateau, Ebonyi, Imo and Kaduna states.
The primary was postponed till tomorrow in Lagos due to security challenges, according to Wale Ahmed, the Public Relations Officer, but it was clear that untidy arrangements marred the process. It was postponed till Wednesday in Oyo State. The exercise started late in Kwara, Bauchi and Kogi states.
Former Military Administrator Gen. Buba Marwa dumped the party and found a home in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).
President Goodluck Jonathan, Enugu Governor Sullivan Chime, PDP National Chairman Okwesilieze Nwodo and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu were last night locked in a marathon meeting to resolve the crisis that has grounded the primaries in Enugu, where there is tension over attempts to shut the door against Chime.
Here is the scenario in the states:
•Bayelsa:
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan voted in his home state where Governor Timipre Sylva won with 420 votes as against Chief Francis Doukopla’s 10. Chief Fred Agbedi got eight votes, Mr. Hings Dumbo (six), Tarela Tebepah (four), David Obuma (three), George Ombeh (three), Dimaro Deiyabofa (two), Fred Ikigha (two), Enai Full Power (two), Rufus Beimo Spiff (one) and Kalangom Youpele (one).
Mallam Bature Garba, the chair of the Electoral Panel, said 471 votes were valid; 10 were invalid.
Jonathan declared the primary free and fair.
The President said he participated in the exercise, in accordance with the one- man one-vote campaign.
His words: "One-man-one-vote has come to stay and your votes must count; we must protect our votes. I must stay to defend my vote, we should all defend our votes."
Speaking on Sylva’s victory, he said: "It shows Bayelsans still want you." He advised him to carry everybody along in the scheme of things.
Sylva said: "We have a fight ahead for the PDP. Let us join hands to fight for the victory of the PDP."
He thanked Mr. President for the honour of coming personally to Yenagoa to vote for him. The gesture, he said, is a precursor to what will happen in Abuja in the presidential primaries.
"This is a precursor to what will happen in Abuja. I will relocate to Abuja to mobilise for the President. All the votes will be for you on January 13," he assured Jonathan.
One of the aspirants, who spoke on behalf of the losers, Mr. David Obuma, said the development was a new wind of democracy blowing across the state and Nigeria.
He praised the electoral panel for conducting a peaceful election.
•Ogun State:
GBOYEGA Isiaka, former Chairman of Gateway Holdings and the aspirant supported by outgoing Governor Gbenga Daniel claimed the ticket. He scored 831 votes. The process was facilitated by the four- man panel from the National Headquarters of the party headed by Col. Abdulmumini Aminu (rtd). Other members are Ndubuisi Nwigwe, Alhaji Nasiru Haruna and Mr Sam Bassey.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) observers witnessed the primary. The INEC officials are: Mr Dickson Atiba, Mrs Osimen Magdalene, Endurance Udeona and Mr Leo Nkedipe.
But the faction led by Minister of Commerce Chief Jubril Martins-Kuye held their own congress at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, a few metres away from the Moshood Abiola Stadium venue of the Daniel faction’s congress.
Ex-Military Governor Gen. Adetunji Olurin was elected at the primary held by the other faction.
Gen. Olurin was pronounced winner with 754 votes. His opponents, Mr Tony Ojeshina scored 22 votes, Chief Leye Odunjo 19 votes, Lekan Ojo eight votes and Rev. Jide Awosedo one vote.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was absent. He was on an international assignment in Cote D’Ivoire. Senator Lekan Mustapha, House of Assembly Speaker Tunji Egbetokun, Remmy Hazzan, Dr Adetokunbo Oshin, Hon. Adijat Oladapo, Senator Kola Bajomo and Kazeem Salako shunned the primaries. Speaker Dimeji Bankole and Governor Gbenga Daniel voted at the stadium at 3: 15pm. Deputy Governor Salmot Badru voted earlier.
Col. Aminu described the congress as "the authentic one we are assigned to conduct". "We are not aware of any parallel election elsewhere," he said.
But As the primary progressed, a drama ensued when Hon Lola Abiola-Edewor, daughter of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola and women in their hundreds, stormed the venue, protesting what they alleged as moves by top hierarchy of the party to annul the primary that returned her as the senatorial candidate of the PDP for Ogun Central. She alleged that they wanted to turn her victory in favour of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo - Bello.
•Benue State:
IT was peaceful. Governor Gabriel Suswam won all the votes cast without a single vote for his opponent, Terver Kaki.
•Kwara State:
THE adoption of zoning of the office to the North and South senatorial districts led to the withdrawal of Prof. Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem, Alhaji Abdul-Rasaq Atunwa and Alhaji Folorunsho Ayinla, all from Kwara Centrral Senatorial District.
Under the unanimous arrangement, the governorship slot will be rotated among the three senatorial districts for a fixed term of four years, starting with Kwara North and South senatorial districts for the next political dispensation. According to Governor Bukola Saraki, stakeholders of the party arrived at the decision yesterday at an emergency meeting.
Saraki said: "I believe that as a party, we must take certain position in order to ensure a sense of belonging and also fairness, equity and everlasting unity among us all."
He noted that to ensure that the party remains united, Kwara Central, having produced governor for 12 years, should leave the slot for both Kwara North and South in the spirit of fair play, justice and equity.
The congress was peaceful, with Kwara South aspirants withdrawing from the race. They are: Senator Makanjuola Ajadi, former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Adelodun Salman Ibrahim and Brig.-Gen. Theophilus Bamgboye.
Former Sports Minister Ibrahim Bio (Kwara North) and Senator Mohammed Ahmed (Kwara North) also quit the race. The field was then left open to Kwara South aspirants Abdulfatai Ahmed, former Commissioner for Economic Planning, Yekini Alabi and House of Representatives member Bashiru Bolarinwa.
As of 12.30a.m., according to our reporter, Ahmed looked good for the prize.
Gbemisola Saraki has emerged candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN).
•Enugu State:
TENSION continued to build up, following the reluctance of the party’s national secretariat under Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo to conduct primaries in the state.
The aspirants had heaved a sigh of relief when it was announced that the exercise would finally begin from today. But, such hopes were dashed again yesterday when word went round that the primaries would no longer hold.
It was gathered that the party had refused to publish a list of officers scheduled to carry out the primary, which ought to have started today with the House of Assembly. The National Assembly and the governorship primaries were billed to hold tomorrow and on Wednesday.
"By the timetable earlier agreed with the national secretariat," explained Dr. Okey Eze, the publicity secretary of the Vita Abba-led executive in the state, "the primaries were supposed to have started on Monday (today) and to end on Wednesday after which the delegates to the national convention would have departed.
"As I speak to you now, materials have not been sent for that purpose; electoral officers to conduct the primaries have not been sent by the national secretariat. Yet, we must have to conclude the primaries by January 15. So, somebody must be up to a sinister game."
The worry of the aspirants, according to one of them, who pleaded not to be named, is that "there is a grand design to keep shifting the commencement of the primaries, until we’re faced with a situation where we can’t be candidates. It is ridiculous that a party under the leadership of a son of the soil (Nwodo) is plotting such evil against its own members."
The latest plot by the Nwodo camp, it was learnt, is to insist on the sharing of elective positions from the House of Assembly to the National Assembly. The governorship was conceded to Chime because of "his outstanding performance".
•Rivers State:
Governor Rotimi Amaechi won without breaking a sweat.
Amaechi, at the primaries, which took place at the Sharks Football Club Stadium in Port Harcourt, the state capital, polled 1,139 votes, with the only female aspirant, Mrs. Dennisada Ben-Fiabema recording only one vote. Former Governor Celestine Omehia and Dr. More Oja Chinda did not score any vote.
Chair of the primaries’ committee Chief Dan Osi Orbih announced the result at 4:02 pm. Omehia did not show up, while Chinda left the stadium in anger.
•Ebonyi State:
GOVERNOR Martins Elechi was the sole candidate. He polled 634 of the 688 votes cast at the primary held at the Abakaliki Township Stadium.
•Plateau State:
GOVERNOR Jonah David Jang, the sole candidate, took the ticket.
Hon. Emmanuel Ibeshi, who supervised the primary, said Jang "emerged, having scored two- thirds of votes cast, indicating 80 per cent of the total votes cast".
He said "763 delegates from the three geo-political zones in the state were accredited for the election, 756 voted for Jang while seven votes were voided".
•Cross River State:
GOVERNOR Liyel Imoke was returned unopposed by affirmation.
The state PDP chapter rejected the cancellation of its congresses by INEC, endorsing Imoke, the sole aspirant, by affirmation.
Chairman Ntufam Ekpo Okon rejected the recent insinuation of impropriety by INEC in the conduct of the party’s primaries, saying it would proceed to conclude the process.
In a statement, entitled "Re: Cancellation of PDP Congresses in Cross River State", Okon assured all party members that the results remained valid and sacrosanct. He urged them to remain calm and peaceful "as the situation is under control".
He said his attention had been drawn to a statement credited to the State Resident Electoral Commission (REC) purporting to cancel the primaries, stressing that the decision was based on the claim that "non of the electoral officers (of INEC) witnessed" the ward congresses conducted in the state for the election of three ad hoc delegates for each ward for the party congresses.
"We find the statements and actions of the REC surprising and below the expectations and responsibility of such a high officer. The ward congresses of the party were scheduled nationwide and conducted on December 28, but the REC, in his statement, claimed the congresses were scheduled for January 3.
The chairman stressed that INEC was given adequate notification of the congresses, in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, adding that the REC, and electoral officers failed to "witness" the congresses that were held state wide in all ward centres after due notification from the party, places on these officers of INEC a responsibility to explain their failure and cannot lead to the cancellation of properly conducted congresses.
•Oyo State:
PDP members were initially kept in the dark before it became clear that the exercise had been postponed.
It was gathered that the national leaders of the party saddled with the responsibility of conducting the primary were not forthcoming.
The party’s Director of Media and Strategy, Mr. Morohunkola Thomas said it would hold tomorrow.
Three of the governorship aspirants who belonged to the Coalition opposed to the second bid of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala; Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, Elder Wole Oyelese and Alhaji Hazeeem Gbolarumi are threatening to boycott the primary.
Gbolarumi, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone from Britain yesterday, said the primary would amount to a nullity if the party goes ahead with it "under the current illegal executive led by Dejo Afolabi."
According to him, the fresh congresses ordered by the party’s National Working Committee were suspended, following the Ona-Ara Local Government incident where a factional leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Salako (a.k.a. Eleweomo), was killed.
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