…as APC moves to take advantage of situation
THERE was anxiety and confusion in the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday when news filtered in that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had held that the primary election of the March 25 of the PDP was done with irregularities, some of which were against the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the party.
The news rattled the camp of the PDP candidate, Dr Asue Ighodalo, and the party’s campaign organization office while, expectedly, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) explored the situation when it issued a statement calling on Ighodalo to now join them in their campaign to rescue the state but the State Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, quickly came to rescue as he issued a statement telling a fast demoralizing membership that the court had not removed their candidate.
In fact, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the campaign team of Ighodalo was thrown into confusion and had to wait for further assurances and direction before they continued their programmes.
Though the party, through the Director General of the PDP Campaign Organisation, Hon Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, said the party would immediately appeal the ruling, counsel to Ighodalo, Akinlolu Kehinde, said there was no such order as voiding Ighodalo’s candidature by the court.
“This honourable court did not make any order nullifying the primary of the Asuerinme Ighodalo as the PDP candidate who won that primary election by 577 votes”, Akinlolu said.
“What the court said is that some delegates were excluded and don’t forget that those delegates under Section 84 (14) have no locus to question the primaries having not been aspirants in the primary themselves, and so I must say it, again, with every sense of responsibility that counsel, especially the counsel for the delegates must be wary because he stands the chance of the opportunity of being arraigned before the disciplinary committee.”
But the APC called on Ighodalo to now join it in its campaign to rescue the people of the state while the former deputy governor, Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu, said he had been vindicated having maintained from day one that the PDP did not conduct a proper primary election.
A statement released by Aziegbemi said the mis-information about the removal of the party’s candidate was to deceive the its teeming members.
He said, “The PDP is aware that certain elements who are scared of the soaring popularity of our candidate Dr Asue Ighodalo are going about peddling rumors that the candidature of Dr Asue Ighodalo has been nullified.
“Let it be on record that the candidature of Dr Asue Ighodalo as the flag bearer of the party for the 2024 elections remains intact and that the judgement of the Federal High court in Abuja did not in any way affect the candidature of Dr Asue Ighodalo”.
It would be recalled that after the Ad hoc delegates’ election of the PDP, the party set up an appeal panel headed by Sen. Seriake Dickson.
The panel called for political solution to the crisis in the party but shelved calls for the cancellation of the controversial election.
The panel’s report submitted to the National Working Committee (NWC) acknowledged the petition by nine aggrieved aspirants and confirmed that the results from all 192 wards were signed by only two persons.
The report was sent through the National Organising Secretary.
It noted the confirmation that the Chairperson of the three-man ward congresses Ad hoc committee, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, and its Secretary, Paschal Adigwe, signed the results from the ward.
The report further observed the complaints of the aspirants that they were not carried along and did not participate in the ward election.
The panel, however, expressed concerns that the PDP could not afford the cancellation of the election, saying that based on electoral laws there would be no time for a fresh election.
It observed that even a fresh election may not be acceptable to others
They, therefore, called for political solution involving “all stakeholders”, including Governor Godwin Obaseki.(Vanguard)
