Lauretta Fagbohun, OGUN
Some aggrieved aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have threatened to go to court over the party's primaries in Ogun state, especially the House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections held on Monday, May 23.
The aggrieved members including Dada Oduntan for Ogun Central senatorial District, Solomon Enilolobo for Abeokuta South Constituency 1, Olawale Soyode for Ifo/Ewekoro Federal constituency, Samuel Abiodun for Abeokuta North/Odeda/Obafemi Owode Federal Constituency, Makanjuola Kazeem for Ewekoro state constituency and Akeem Amosun for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, held a press conference at Iwe Iroyin, Abeokuta, to express their grievances regarding the party primaries with a threat to go to court if denied their mandates by the Leadership of the party.
Addressing journalists on behalf of other candidates, Akeem Amosun claimed they were fully elected by delegates at the designated venue scheduled by PDP.
He said the exercise, was fully monitored by the officials of the independent National Electoral Comission(INEC),security operatives including the police, Directorate of state services(DSS),Nigeria Security and Civil Defence(NSCDC).
Amosun explained they were all amazed, when they heard the names of PDP candidates, which were announced as different from what transpired at the venues of their own primaries, displaying the schedule of the primary and the centers.
He said they would resist any attempt,to substitute their names to a logical level.
In his words “We are the authentic candidates elected by the authentic delegates at the authentic venue. We shall resist any attempt to do otherwise.We are using this medium to alert the National Secretariat of the party. We shall not hesitate to go to court.”
Amosun added that it was a rude shock to them when they heard that much later in the evening of Monday after they had long concluded their primaries at the designated places as approved by the party and INEC, another set of candidates who never followed the party guidelines were said to have also emerged for same offices at another primaries held at the state secretariat of the party.
Samuel Olufemi Abiodun who was said to have emerged as the party candidate for Abeokuta North/Odeda/Obafemi-Owode Federal Constituency disclosed that the height of the illegalities could be traced to a governorship aspirant who he claimed has hijacked the party.
While claiming to be the authentic candidates of the party in the state, they alleged that the electoral process was flawed with disagreements on the list of delegates and other allegations of manipulation.
They said the venues where they observed their primary election was approved by the Party’s state Chairman, Hon. Sikirulah Ogundele.
They also said the Federal House of Representatives primaries was held at the designated venue, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) while the House of Assembly constituency 1 primary election was held at Centenary Hall, Ake, and that of constituency 2 was held at Ijeja town hall, Ibara, Abeokuta.
According to them, all were at the designated venues for the elections in the presence of INEC, DSS, and different Police formations including the DPOs, the SCID, and NSCDC.
One of the assembly aspirants, Solomon Enilolobo, who is vying to represent Abeokuta South state constituency 1, told Nigerian Newstrack that some segments of the press reported that they held their election at the PDP Secretariat at night and the truth needed to be addressed.
He said, “We understand some people came from Abuja but we were not aware of their presence and we do not know their whereabouts”.
“We waited for them at the designated venues for the primaries, but we did not see them. We want them to challenge us if they ever step their feet on the designated venues”, Enilolobo added.
Enilolobo alleged that the materials used for the primary elections were provided by the party in Ogun state.
