2015: Governorship primary tears PDP apart in states

 

There are strong indications that the governorship primary held on Monday is tearing state chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party apart.

Saturday PUNCH reliably learnt on Thursday that many of the aggrieved aspirants were planning to leave the party.

States where the PDP is currently battling intractable crises include Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Yobe, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Kebbi, Imo and Abia.

It was gathered that the PDP leadership was disturbed by crises arising from the primary.

It was learnt that as a first step, aggrieved aspirants were being encouraged to go to the party’s appeal panels.

But as part of moves to pacify them, it was gathered that they were being wooed with promises of appointments in 2015.

A member of the PDP National Working Committee, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said, “The PDP is the ruling party and we are sure of winning the 2015 presidential election.

“We have told them (aggrieved aspirants) that it is better for them to remain in the party. When there is time to make appointments, they will be given top consideration.”

It was, however, gathered that the peace move had not yielded positive results among the aggrieved aspirants.

Rivers: PDP will lose Rivers if,…—Aggrieved aspirants

In Rivers State, the 16 governorship aspirants have continued to reject the outcome of the governorship primary of the PDP.

A former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, got the party’s governorship ticket.

The grouse of the 16 aspirants is that Wike comes from Ikwerre, an area where the incumbent governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, hails from.

They argued that the position of the governor must be zoned in the interest of justice and fairness.

One of the aspirants, Tonye Princewill, in an interview in Port Harcourt, expressed the fear that the party might lose the state to the APC if the zoning formula for the governorship position was finally jettisoned.

Princewill stated, “The Rivers State Wike led PDP executive does not realise we are several steps ahead of them; none of the key aspirants were involved in the congresses. That should be a signal for the party.

“Our silence will speak louder than our words. In the end, the PDP should sit up and address this sham or they will lose us and lose Rivers state. Nothing is impossible.”

But the state Chairman of the party, Mr. Felix Obuah, in a statement faulted the stand of the aggrieved aspirants.

He stated, “This is about the first time in the political history of the state, a party decided to do away with outdated primordial sentiments in choosing its representatives based on quality and personal charisma which is PDP’s edge over others.”

Akwa Ibom: 22 aspirants kick against Akpabio-backed candidate

The twenty-two aspirants who boycotted the PDP primary on Monday are pressuring the national headquarters of the party to cancel what they described as the skewed primary in favour of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s friend, Mr. Udom Emmanuel.

One of the aspirants, Dr. Peter Esu, in an interview, said they had not taken the decision to defect to any political party. He said they have appealed the outcome of Monday’s PDP primary.

Esu said, “We have confidence in our party. They will listen to us. And if at all we are to defect to a “We are under intense pressures from other political parties for us to move enmasse with our supporters.

Oro ethnic group threatens to leave PDP

But the people of Oro ethnic nationality, the third largest group in the state, have threatened to defect to a party that would accommodate their interests.

According to them, what will only stop them from defecting to another political party is the cancelation of the governorship primary in Akwa Ibom State.

The position of Oro people, who occupy five o ut of the 12 local government areas in the oil-rich belt of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, was made known through Oron Union.

One of the leaders of the group and former Nigerian Ambassador to Greece, Dr. Etim Uye, in a statement, said their intention to defect was part of the move to express their anger against the Akpabio administration.

Their demands include total cancellation of the PDP governorship primary.

They said that in the alternative, considering the limitation in time imposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission election timetable, a consensus candidate should be sourced from aspirants, who are of Oro extraction.

“In the event of the neglect of our position by the national leadership of PDP to correct the obvious anomaly perpetuated against Oro, the people of Oro will be left with no alternative, but to join a political party and platform they believe will accommodate their interest and aspirations,‘‘ Oro people declared.

Ogun: Nine aspirants reject result

In Ogun State, nine governorship aspirants have moved against Adegboyega Isiaka, who emerged as the PDP candidate in a controversial circumstance.

The nine aspirants had boycotted the primary, where Isiaka got the governorship primary.

They include Tony Ojesina (Ewekoro), Prince Yanju Lipede (Abeokuta South), Remilekun Bakare (Abeokuta South), Sarafa Ishola (Abeokuta North), Yomi Majekodunmi (Abeokuta North) and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole (Abeokuta South). Others are David Bamgbose (Abeokuta North), Isiaq Akinlade (Yewa South), and Alhaji Rafiu Ogunleye (Ijebu East).  

The party’s National Working Committee had on Monday issued a statement ordering the stoppage of the governorship primary in the state. But the state chapter of the party went ahead to conduct the primary.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that many of the aspirants were still looking up to the national leadership of the party to ensure justice.

One of chieftains of the party in the state, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said, “The only thing that can ensure victory of the party in the state is justice. If there is no justice, the PDP can as well forget winning the state.”

But the state chairman of the party, Mr. Adebayo Dayo, said he never got any directive from either the National Executive Council and the NWC on the conduct of the governorship primary.

He said, “I am not in a position to confirm or deny what the national secretariat in Abuja has said. At the National Executive Council meeting we held last month or thereabout, we were given the guidelines and the timetable for the primaries.”

When contacted, one of the aggrieved governorship contestants, Remilekun Bakare, told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Thursday that many of them were waiting for the decision of the NWC and the NEC on the primary.

He said, “We are not defecting yet. We are waiting for the decision of the National Executive Council and National Working Committee on the primary.”

Imo: PDP must resolve grumblings—Ararume

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, won the Imo State Governorship primary of the PDP.

But the runner-up in the primary, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, had rejected the result, insisting that he is the winner of the race.

Ararume told one of our correspondents in Umuahia that he won the context but his mandate was given to Ihedioha in error.

He expressed confidence that his stolen mandate would be restored to him by the party.

He stated, “I won the primaries but I want to believe the ticket was given to Ihedioha by mistake. It was a miscalculation because the total number of accredited votes was 1,017 and valid votes were 1,006. So, if you deduct the excess of 21 votes mistakenly added to Ihedioha you will arrive at the truth that I am the winner of the primaries with 336.”

Yobe: Primary not fair—Ex-minister

There is also crisis in the Yobe State chapter of the party, where a former Minister of Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama and three other aspirants have rejected the victory of another ex-minister, Alhaji Adamu Waziri.

Yerima, Ibrahim Talba, and Hassan Kafayos Hussein, in a collective statement, faulted the result.

The aspirants said that the list of the delegates that should have voted at the primaries was not shown to them.

Ebonyi: Elechi set to join LP

Our correspondents gathered that the Ebonyi State Governor, Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State, had been staying away from the PDP’s activities since he lost his bid to install his preferred aspirant as the party’s candidate.

The PDP chieftains in the state including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, ensured that Elechi’s deputy, Dave Umahi, picked the governorship ticket.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that Elechi was set to dump the PDP for Labour Party.

Already, his first son, Elechi Elechi and other loyalists, including the senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, Chris Nwankwo, have joined the LP.

Kebbi: Eight aspirants rise against winner

In Kebbi State, eight aspirants have rejected the primary, which produced General Sarkin Yaki Bello (retd.) as governorship candidate.

The aggrieved aspirants, including the state deputy governor, Ibrahim Aliyu, and Senator Muhammadu Magoro, held a meeting after which they issued a communiqué rejecting the exercise.

They urged the NWC of the party to investigate and punish all those behind the conduct of the primaries.

Abia: It was a marred process–Ogah

In Abia State, the runner up, Dr. Uche Ogah, who expressed reservations over the primaries, said he would make his official position known in a week’s time.

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, he alleged that proper accreditation was not done, adding that “ a process marred can never produce the mandate of the people.”

Ogah, who polled 103 votes at the exercise, therefore, appealed to his teeming supporters to remain calm and law abiding, promising to make public his next line of action after due consultations. But in a swift reaction, the winner of the Abia context, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, said the exercise was very transparent and commendable contrary to allegations by the losers that the process was fraudulent.

He roundly denied that he “quarantined the delegates and denied his opponents access to them,” insisting that all aspirants had unfettered access to the delegates.

Ikpeazu said “ I lack the capacity to quarantine 700 delegates,” adding that no aspirant would claim he was denied access to the delegates because their list was made public and they were the same delegates who participated in state and national assemblies’ primaries.”

Bayelsa: Ex-Commissioner, others dump PDP

Some prominent members of the party in Bayelsa State chapter, including a former commissioner, Mr. Zuwa Kodugah, have defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

Konugah and a former President of the Ijaw Youth Congress Wordwide, Jonjon Oyeinfa, had shifted their loyalty to APGA where they had picked their tickets to run for the state House of Assembly elections in 2015.

We will accommodate all aspirants—PDP

When contacted, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in an interview with one of our correspondents, dismissed the fear of the impending explosion of the party.

Metuh assured that the PDP would resolve the crises arising from primaries and pacify aggrieved aspirants

He said, “What we are doing now is that the party is working with the people directly in those states, to make sure that once the guideline is upheld and the election was conducted according to the guidelines, the outcome would be upheld.

“The other one is to ensure that we accommodate our members. We are working on it, I can assure you.”

--Punch News