Elections
PDP Will Not Produce A Candidate In Edo If … – Aspirant
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP stands the risk of not fielding a candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State based on the irregularities that marred the election of ad-hoc delegates, Barrister Anselm Ojezua, one of the aspirants for the ticket has said.
Ojezua is one of the nine aspirants who petitioned the Senator Serikae Dickson led Appeal Panel alleging that they were fenced out from the ward delegates election that took place penultimate weekend.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Ojezua said that it would be especially bad for the outgoing governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki given his past contentions within and outside the PDP.
Noting the interaction of the nine aspirants with the PDP Appeals Committee, Ojezua said:
“The Appeal Committee met us and it was in that meeting that we were able to convince them that what happened was a sham.
“The chairman of the Appeal Committee confronted us with the result sheets which we were seeing for the very first time and these were things we were seeing for the very first time and which we should have seen before the exercise but it never happened.
“It never happened because the National Organsising Secretary of the party, Alhaji Umar had sent those materials directly to Edo State Government House.
Noting that the chairman of the election committee, Governor Peter Mbah turned himself into an observer rather than the supervisor of the election, he said:
“The process was ongoing before the chairman of the exercise came in the following day. They had distributed these materials on the 3rd and the chairman appeared midday of the 4th and inspected two locations and expressed satisfaction and that is why I said that he misconceived his assignment, rather than being the one to conduct the exercise, he came to observe and after observing, he made a comment.
“But he forgot that it was his responsibility to meet with us even before the process started. It was his responsibility to deploy the officers that were given to him to work with, it was his responsibility to distribute the materials. All these were done in his absence before he arrived.
“Even when he arrived, he was made to sign result sheets as if he were the one who conducted those exercises concurrently in 192 locations. We pointed out that those anomalies to the Appeal Committee and they were quite surprised.
“Again they were also shocked that there was no stakeholders’ meeting before the commencement of the process. That’s why we said that the process was compromised even before they started,” Ojezua said adding that all the results from the 192 wards were signed by the chairman and his secretary.
Asserting that the PDP stands the risk of not producing a candidate based on the irregularities, he said:
“In the process, they have done things that have jeopardised the interest of the party. I can tell you with confidence that should they not allow common sense to prevail, PDP will end up not having a candidate in this election.
“The governor knows the right thing to do. I am holding him accountable because he is the leader. Let him take note that he has an opportunity to do so but in the event that he doesn’t do so, let him take full responsibility for whatever happens.”
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