Aspirants who want to be governors in the six
states where governorship elections will be held next year are
threatening to throw the Peoples Democratic Party into a major crisis if
it doesn’t hold fresh primaries.
Our correspondent learnt in Abuja on Thursday that some PDP powerbrokers, whose candidates won the primaries, are also bent on frustrating the plan of the party’s National Working Committee to dance to the tune of the aspirants.
THE PUNCH learnt that stalwarts of the party had been holding meetings with the aspirants in the six states, in order to avert an intra-party crisis and losses to opposition parties. A source in the NWC told us that one of such meetings held on Thursday in Abuja.
Last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission had released the timetable for the governorship elections in Sokoto, Bayelsa, Edo, Adamawa, Cross River and Kogi.
Although governorship candidates had emerged from the PDP primaries in the six states, governorship elections did not hold because the Court of Appeal had ruled that the tenure of the governors of the states were yet to be concluded.
INEC spokesman Solomon Soyebi had confirmed that the commission would conduct elections in the six states in 2012. He had also said that Ondo and Ekiti would take their turns in 2013, while Anambra and Osun would have their elections in 2014.
Going by INEC guidelines, political parties in Kogi must conduct their primaries not later than September 22, while Adamawa and Bayelsa must have theirs not later than November 3 and December 1 respectively. Parties in Sokoto and Cross River must also hold their primaries by December 29 and February 7, 2012 respectively while primaries in Edo State must be held not later than May 8.
Following the INEC timetable, the PDP NWC, according to sources, has been thrown into confusion as aspirants who won the cancelled primaries and those who lost have been jostling to influence its decision.
Aspirants that lost in the primaries are insisting that the NWC should organise fresh primaries based on INEC guidelines while those who won are fighting to ensure that the party uses the results of the last primaries.
A source in the NWC, however, told our reporter that the organ was in favour of cancelling all previous primaries and conducting fresh ones.
He added that the PDP NWC met on Wednesday to deliberate on the issue. Our correspondent learnt that the members were at a loss on how to handle the matter as it had already polarised the party, in the six states and at the national level.
Aspirants who lost in Kogi are said to have started mobilising for the party’s governorship primaries, but the winner of the primaries, Alhaji Jibril Isa, with the support of Governor Ibrahim Idris, is said to have promised his supporters that there would be no fresh primaries.
Sixteen governorship aspirants from Kogi were at the Wednesday meeting. Among them were a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo(SAN); the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Salau; Col. Bello Fadile(retd.), Clarence Olufemi, Yakubu Mohammed, Musa Ahmadu, Dr. S.T Shuaibu and Sen. Nicola Ugbana.
Also at the meeting were Dr. Jacob Abdulahi, Sen. Alex Kadiri, Isa Kutepa, Olusola Akanmode, Saliu Atawodi and Isa. Members of the NWC at the meeting included the acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Kawu Baraje; National Legal Adviser, Chief Olusola Oke; and the National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Alkali.
A source at the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the aspirants, apart from Isa, insisted that the party must follow the INEC guidelines to the letter to avoid what they called “unnecessary litigation”, which they said was capable of affecting the party.
Apart from this, it was learnt that the aspirants also told the NWC members that they should not forget that the party went into another round of primaries in Anambra during the conduct of the last governorship election.
Senator Andy Uba was the party’s candidate in the annulled Anambra State governorship election, which he won, before the Supreme Court ordered that the tenure of the incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi, had not ended.
Also, it was also learnt that the aspirants informed the members of the NWC that since the party had refunded their nomination fees, they deserved a fresh chance.
The source said the committee found the argument of the aspirants compelling because of the fear of the possible effect of the defection of the former Kogi State Governor Abubakar Audu to the ACN.
Confirming the meeting, Oke said it was true that the party summoned the aspirants with the aim that they should stop granting media interviews on whether there should be fresh primaries or not in the state. He said with their comments, the aspirants were already heating up polity in the state.
Oke, however, refused to speak on whether the party had taken a position on fresh primaries.
Also speaking on the matter, Ojo said the meeting was at the instance of the leadership of the party. He said he and other aspirants reminded the party on the need to have fresh primaries in the state.
Meanwhile, the PDP has said the South-East zone of the party must continue to supervise the Anambra State chapter of the party pending when congress would hold. A statement by the acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Musa Babayo, said the decision was taken at the NWC meeting on Wednesday.
By Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
Our correspondent learnt in Abuja on Thursday that some PDP powerbrokers, whose candidates won the primaries, are also bent on frustrating the plan of the party’s National Working Committee to dance to the tune of the aspirants.
THE PUNCH learnt that stalwarts of the party had been holding meetings with the aspirants in the six states, in order to avert an intra-party crisis and losses to opposition parties. A source in the NWC told us that one of such meetings held on Thursday in Abuja.
Last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission had released the timetable for the governorship elections in Sokoto, Bayelsa, Edo, Adamawa, Cross River and Kogi.
Although governorship candidates had emerged from the PDP primaries in the six states, governorship elections did not hold because the Court of Appeal had ruled that the tenure of the governors of the states were yet to be concluded.
INEC spokesman Solomon Soyebi had confirmed that the commission would conduct elections in the six states in 2012. He had also said that Ondo and Ekiti would take their turns in 2013, while Anambra and Osun would have their elections in 2014.
Going by INEC guidelines, political parties in Kogi must conduct their primaries not later than September 22, while Adamawa and Bayelsa must have theirs not later than November 3 and December 1 respectively. Parties in Sokoto and Cross River must also hold their primaries by December 29 and February 7, 2012 respectively while primaries in Edo State must be held not later than May 8.
Following the INEC timetable, the PDP NWC, according to sources, has been thrown into confusion as aspirants who won the cancelled primaries and those who lost have been jostling to influence its decision.
Aspirants that lost in the primaries are insisting that the NWC should organise fresh primaries based on INEC guidelines while those who won are fighting to ensure that the party uses the results of the last primaries.
A source in the NWC, however, told our reporter that the organ was in favour of cancelling all previous primaries and conducting fresh ones.
He added that the PDP NWC met on Wednesday to deliberate on the issue. Our correspondent learnt that the members were at a loss on how to handle the matter as it had already polarised the party, in the six states and at the national level.
Aspirants who lost in Kogi are said to have started mobilising for the party’s governorship primaries, but the winner of the primaries, Alhaji Jibril Isa, with the support of Governor Ibrahim Idris, is said to have promised his supporters that there would be no fresh primaries.
Sixteen governorship aspirants from Kogi were at the Wednesday meeting. Among them were a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo(SAN); the state Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Salau; Col. Bello Fadile(retd.), Clarence Olufemi, Yakubu Mohammed, Musa Ahmadu, Dr. S.T Shuaibu and Sen. Nicola Ugbana.
Also at the meeting were Dr. Jacob Abdulahi, Sen. Alex Kadiri, Isa Kutepa, Olusola Akanmode, Saliu Atawodi and Isa. Members of the NWC at the meeting included the acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Kawu Baraje; National Legal Adviser, Chief Olusola Oke; and the National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rufai Alkali.
A source at the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the aspirants, apart from Isa, insisted that the party must follow the INEC guidelines to the letter to avoid what they called “unnecessary litigation”, which they said was capable of affecting the party.
Apart from this, it was learnt that the aspirants also told the NWC members that they should not forget that the party went into another round of primaries in Anambra during the conduct of the last governorship election.
Senator Andy Uba was the party’s candidate in the annulled Anambra State governorship election, which he won, before the Supreme Court ordered that the tenure of the incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi, had not ended.
Also, it was also learnt that the aspirants informed the members of the NWC that since the party had refunded their nomination fees, they deserved a fresh chance.
The source said the committee found the argument of the aspirants compelling because of the fear of the possible effect of the defection of the former Kogi State Governor Abubakar Audu to the ACN.
Confirming the meeting, Oke said it was true that the party summoned the aspirants with the aim that they should stop granting media interviews on whether there should be fresh primaries or not in the state. He said with their comments, the aspirants were already heating up polity in the state.
Oke, however, refused to speak on whether the party had taken a position on fresh primaries.
Also speaking on the matter, Ojo said the meeting was at the instance of the leadership of the party. He said he and other aspirants reminded the party on the need to have fresh primaries in the state.
Meanwhile, the PDP has said the South-East zone of the party must continue to supervise the Anambra State chapter of the party pending when congress would hold. A statement by the acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Musa Babayo, said the decision was taken at the NWC meeting on Wednesday.
By Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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