Crises mar PDP Ward Congress
*16 guber aspirants stay away in Rivers
*Four die in Bayelsa
*Gov Suswam, Senator Gemade battle in Benue
*Controversy in Ogun, Kwara
Confusion in ImoCrisis trailed the ward congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held, yesterday, in many states across the country.
The exercise was, however, peaceful in some states.
In Rivers State, the congress was boycotted by 16 gubernatorial aspirants on the grounds that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, was interfering in the affairs of the PDP in the state.
Reports from Benue State said Governor Gabriel Suswan and Senator Barnabas Gemade were battling for the soul of the PDP in the state.
There was controversy in Ogun as party chieftains accused each other of plans to hijack the exercise.
In Bayelsa State, four persons were reported dead on their way to the venue of the congress.
Rivers boycott
In Rivers State, 16 governorship aspirants on the platform of the party boycotted the ward congress with their supporters, accusing Mrs Patience Jonathan of unwholesome interference in the affairs of the party in the state.
The aspirants, who spoke through Mr Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo, called for the postponement of the congress, saying Mrs Jonathan had endorsed one of the aspirants.
“We want to put it on record that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has publicity (not in her house but in the house of one of the aspirants) endorsed an aspirant.
The First Lady has also approached some of the aspirants to step down and even invited them to a dinner/meeting in the Presidential Villa,” Ijaye-Dagogo said.
The governorship aspirants said the leadership of the party in the state had failed to exhaust the processes that should lead to a credible ward congress, adding that they include “open registration of members, authentication of the party registers at ward levels and display of party register as enshrined in the party’s constitution.”
“ We note that the process leading up to the ward delegate elections, which is the foundation of all subsequent primaries, is clearly convoluted and flawed and cannot therefore produce an acceptable outcome.”
Battle for Benue
In Benue, the face off between Governor Suswam and Senator Gemade got to a head when the governor alleged that Gemade had procured fake delegates forms which he distributed to his candidates for the delegates’ election.
PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN AND THE FIRST LADY DR(DAME) PATIENCE JONATHAN DISPLAY THEIR NEW PDP MEMBERSHIP CARD AT THE OTUABULA 11, WARD 13 PDP WARD CONTRESS IN OGBIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF BAYELSA STATE
On his part, Gemade, in a Radio Nigeria Makurdi live phone-in programme, “Democracy and the People”, accused Suswam of purchasing all the Benue PDP delegates forms for his personal advantage.
In a statement on behalf of the governor, his Director of Media Affairs, Mr. James Uloko, described Gemade’s allegation as baseless and unfounded.
Large turnout in Ondo
Reports from Ondo State said members of the PDP turned out in large numbers for the congress.
The exercise was supervised by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and national officers of the party including Senator Lekan Mustapha who described it as peaceful and a clear departure from the past editions of the exercise.
Speaking in the same vein, the Ondo Caretaker Chairman, Hon. Dare Adeleke, expressed happiness at what he called the open display of understanding and love among members of the party.
Controversy in Ogun
In Ogun State, there was controversy following the alleged plan to hijack the ward congress by some party chieftains.
The PDP Chairman in the state, Bayo Dayo, raised the alarm that some chieftains who just returned to the PDP wanted to hijack the party.
Dayo raised the alarm while speaking with journalists to review the congress across the state’s 236 wards.
But the Jubril Martins-Kuye group, led by Chief Kola Bajomo, alleged deliberate refusal by the party leadership to collect delegate forms,as a ploy to deny them relevance in the scheme of things.
The group, which protested the refusal to collect their forms, blamed the state executive of planning to manipulate the congress.
It was gathered that, following the group’s protest,the party congress committee chairman,Saka Balogun, collected the forms from them, with the assurance that the committee will look into their case.
Peaceful conduct in Lagos
The Lagos State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Tunji Shelle, commended members of the party for the peaceful way they conducted themselves during the ward congress.
The congress was held in the 245 wards of the party in the state.
Shelle, who spoke with newsmen at the party’s secretariat n Ikeja, said the party leadership was elated to have a hitch-free congress.
Manipulation allegation in Kwara
Reports from Kwara State said Kwara Democratic Assembly uncovered a conspiracy to hijack the congress.
“We are worried that by this action, some people in Abuja and Ilorin have deliberately compromised the entire congress in Kwara State. It is more worrisome because this similar trend preceded the gubernatorial primaries in Osun State which laid the foundation for the failure of PDP at the polls. We reject this portion in Kwara, hence this alert,”a statement by the group said.
“It is clear to us that there is a grand plan to manipulate the outcome of the delegates’ congress in all the 193 wards in Kwara in favour of this aspirant.
“Unless the National Working Committee intervenes immediately, we are afraid that there is no way Kwarans can have a fair deal with a committee that is clearly partisan.
Confusion in Imo
Confusion reigned in Imo State over the PDP ward congress.
As at 2pm when Sunday Vanguard filed the situation report from Lowa, Ihite Uboma local government area of Ihite Uboma local council area of the state, nobody could explain why voting had not commenced.
At Amata Secondary School, Amata, Ikeduru local government area, there was nothing to show that any official of the PDP would be there to attend to the teeming party faithful.
N287m raked in, in Bayelsa
In Bayelsa State, the exercise recorded large turnout for the procurement of expression of interest and nomination forms by over 175 aspirants and valued at N287million for the party.
Information from the organising secretary office of the party showed that the number of aspirants for the 24 party tickets for the state House of Assembly had increased to 144.
While the number of aspirants for the House of Representatives ticket of the party was put at 17, the number of aspirants for the senatorial ticket is now 14.
Accordingly, the party raked in over N178million from sale of forms to House Assembly aspirants, N42.5million from House of Representative aspirants and N63million from senatorial aspirants.
It was learnt that out of the 175 aspirants that procured forms, only 10 are women.
Meanwhile, the former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and House of Assembly aspirant, Comrade Oyinfie Jonjon, dismissed the claim by some aspirants that they borrowed money and forms procured for them by supporters, declaring that it was mere campaign gimmick.
President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson participated in the congress, preaching peace ahead of political activities in the state.
Enugu congress peaceful
The exercise in Enugu State was hitch-free as party members trooped out en masse to elect their delegates.
Party members converged at the designated centres where they elected the delegates who would participate in the state House of Assembly, National Assembly and governorship primaries to be held later in month.
The Acting State Chairman, Elder David Aja, told reporters after the exercise that field reports indicated that the congresses were successfully conducted across the state.
Claims, counter
– claims in Oyo
SOME governorship aspirants of the PDP in Oyo State who felt the results of the ward congress held across the 33 local government council areas of the state may not favour them tried to disrupt the voting process.
Though the state Publicity Secretary of the party, Kehinde Salawu, avoided blaming any of the aspirants, he confirmed that some of the aspirants tried to create problems.
While assuring that the leadership of the party would ensure that things went well, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the ward congress was dogged by controversy with the three leading governorship aspirants claiming victory. They are Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former governor of the state, Senator Teslim Folarin and Seyi Makinde. The trio were accusing one another of disrupting the process.
At the time of filling this report, results of the congress from across the wards were yet to be released.
Other governorship aspirants, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, Azeem Gbolarumi, Prof. Soji Adejumo, Mr. Kehinde Olaosebikan, said the exercise was peaceful in their respective wards.
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