As predicted by political
analysts, the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held
in states across the country were characterized by gunfire, parallel elections,
protests and walkouts staged by some of the dissatisfied candidates.
LEADERSHIP reports many of the governorship
primaries started late in the day, with many of them lasting well into the
night. Serving governors, Ramallan Yero of Kaduna State and his Gombe State
counterpart Ibrahim Dankwabbo got the PDP ticket to contest for a second term
in office.
In many states, anointed
candidate of the incumbent governor emerged the flag bearer of the party to the
disapproval of other opponents.
While in Rivers, former
minister of education Nyesom Wike, perceived as the anointed aspirant of
President Goodluck Jonathan, picked the ticket of the party, in Akwa Ibom, the
governor’s candidate, Emmanuel Udom, emerged the candidate of the party. It was
a similar case in Niger State where the governor’s chief of staff, Umar Nasko,
was elected to contest the governorship election.
Similarly, the chief of
staff to Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, scaled through the primary, while
in Enugu, four candidates in four factional primaries were elected to fly the
party’s gubernatorial flag in 2015.
In Katsina State, eight
out of the nine aspirants staged a walkout from the election venue, while Akwa
Ibom and Rivers states witnessed a boycott of the exercise by other candidates
who described the exercise as “charade”.
Rivers State: Nyesom Wike
Wike emerged the PDP
governorship candidate in Rivers State, polling 1,083 votes to beat his closest
rival, Hon. Dumbari Ben-Dimkpa, who got 21 votes.
The PDP governorship
primary, supervised by the chairman of the party gubernatorial election panel
for Rivers State, Hon. Etifa Bekeakpo, was held amidst tight security.
Wike, and Ben-Dimkpa as
well as three other governorship aspirants, including Hon. Ibinabo
Michael-West, who scored three votes, and Senator Lee Maeba and Mr. Emmanuel
Georgewill, who scored one vote each, participated in the primary, but 16 other
aspirants stayed away from the exercise.
Niger State: Alhaji Umar
Mohammed Nasko
Former Chief of Staff
Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko clinched the governorship ticket, polling 908 votes
to beat eight other challengers among them the Niger State deputy governor,
Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto who scored 34 votes. Former Minister of Commerce,
Mustapha Bello, scored 11 votes like Alhaji Sahabi Danrangi, while Engineer
Hannafi Sudan returned 57 votes.
Alhaji Dukku and former
Kano State governor Aminu Isa Kontagora did not get any vote.
However, the aspirants,
in a joint press conference addressed by Mustapha Bello, rejected the election,
saying it was full of aberrations.
Kaduna State: Gov Mukhtar
Ramalan Yero
Incumbent governor
Mukhtar Ramalan Yero garnered 970 votes to beat Senator Zego Aziz who got only
one vote: his own. Yero will contest the governorship poll on the PDP stable.
The returning officer and
Chairman of the Kaduna State Electoral committee Dr Steve Oru, before the
commencement of the election, read a letter from three other aspirants who said
they had withdrawn from the contest. They include Samaila Yakawada, Air
Commodore Ajeye and the former minister of aviation Hassan Hyet.
Abia State: Winner Dr
Okezie Ikpeazu
Dr Okezie
Ikpeazu was declared winner of the Abia State PDP governorship primary. He
scored 487 votes to defeat seven other contestants including the former
Minister of Labour and Productivity Chief Emeka Wogu who scored 33 votes to
come third. Oil magnet and owner of Masters Energy Ltd, Dr Uche Ogah, came
second with 103 votes.
The other contestants, Mr
Friday Nwosu and former deputy governor of the state Chief Acho Nwakanma polled
five votes each, while Mr Okey Emuchay and Chief Mac Wabara got
three votes apiece and as chief Okezie Orji scored one vote.
Oyo State: Senator Teslim
Folarin
Former Senate Leader
Teslim Folarin defeated other aspirants to win the Oyo State gubernatorial
ticket. Six governorship aspirants, including former state governor, Chief
Adebayo Alao-Akala, Engineer Seyi Makinde, Femi Babalola Kehinde Olaosebikan,
former deputy governor Taofeek Arapaja and Dr Babalola Owolabi shunned the
primaries.
The presiding officer,
Abba Aji disclosed that Folarin polled 167 votes to beat other nine
contestants. According to him, there were 211 votes, 14 invalid votes and 198
valid votes.
The governorship primary
of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State was yesterday held under
tight security. The 208 delegates, it was gathered, were given N250,000 each by
one of the aspirants and were lodged in an hotel for three days.
Two of the governorship
aspirants, Senator Ayo Adeseun and Professor Taoheed Adedoja left the venue at
the middle of the exercise.
The personal aspirant to
Seyi Makinde, Akeem Azeez told reporters that his principal would not take part
in the primary because it was illegal and unconstitutional, as it contradicted
the ruling of an Abuja High Court.
He argued that using the
statutory delegates for the primary was against the PDP Electoral Guidelines
and Electoral Act (as amended).
Enugu State: 4 Candidates
Emerge
No fewer than four PDP
gubernatorial candidates emerged in Enugu State as parallel primaries took
place in different parts of Enugu, the state capital yesterday.
Senator Ayogu Eze was
elected in one of the primaries conducted in Filbon Hotel premises, New Haven,
Enugu.
While a total of 672
delegates were accredited for the primaries, the Returning Officer, Prince Obi
Nkwonta, announced that Eze polled 526 votes to beat his closest rival Mr.
Chinedu Onu, who scored 31 votes. Eleven votes were declared invalid.
Meanwhile, the PDP
Election Committee, led by King Asara Asara, held another gubernatorial primary
at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, where by press time yesterday Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
was coasting to victory.
News reporters gathered
that Dr. Sam Maduka Onyishi, and Professor Onyeke Onyeke held their own
primaries at different locations in the state capital.
It was gathered that
trouble started yesterday morning when during a meeting with the aspirants, at
Allen Hotel, off Nza Street, Independence Layout, Enugu, Asara produced a delegates
list which Senator Eze, Onu and Onyishi described as fake, and vowed not to
submit themselves to any governorship primaries whose delegates list is bogus.
Asara told the aspirants
that their duty was to conduct the governorship primaries in the state, saying
that the list was given to the committee by the PDP national secretariat,
Abuja.
Adamawa State: Nuhu
Ribadu
Former EFCC chairman
Malam Nuhu Ribadu emerged the PDP governorship candidate for Adamawa State,
polling 688 votes to beat Marcus Gundiri, 33 votes, and Auwal Tukur (son of
former PDP chairman Bamanga Tukur), 24 votes.
Former chairman of the
Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Mohammed Modibbo scored 30 votes
while the incumbent governor Bala James Nggilari got 26 votes. However, Nggilari
and some other aspirants were conspicuously absent from the contest.
Akwa Ibom State: Udom
Emmanuel
Apart from Udom Gabriel
Emmanuel, Governor Akpabio preferred candidate, all other aspirants for the
2015 governorship race in Akwa Ibom State boycotted the delegates’ poll to
choose the party’s candidate for the election next year.
All 23 aspirants
including Nsima Ekere, Patrick Ekpotu, Helen Esuene, Effiong Abia, Ekpenyong
Ntekim, Effiong Usin, Peter Esuh, Larry Esin, Benjamin Okoko, Asuquo Okpo, Mike
Sebastian, Assam Assam, Chris Abasi-eyo, Samuel Udonsak and others staged a
walkout, citing irregularities and lack of transparency in the conduct of the
exercise.
Speaking to journalists
before they stormed out of the Uyo International stadium, venue of the contest,
Chief Assam Assam (SAN), alleged that Akpabio employed fake delegates’ list to
conduct the poll, disclosing that the list was not made available for agents of
each aspirant to vet and ascertain those listed to vote in the contest.
Katsina State: Engr Musa
Nashuni
Engr Musa Nashuni, the
anointed candidate of Governor Ibrahim Shema, has clinched the ticket, polling
1,309 votes to defeat eight other candidates at the party’s primary election,
which held at the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Katsina yesterday.
The results indicated
that Senator Ibrahim Ida got 16 votes, Ahmed Aminu polled four votes, Tukur
Jikamshi got seven votes while Engr Kabir Barkiya and Abdullahi Umar Tsauri
polled two votes each.
Three other aspirants,
Nasiru Chakis, Nura Khalil and Gide Yaradua, got zero votes each.
Our correspondent reports
that Nashuni emerged winner despite a walkout staged by the eight out of the
nine aspirants shortly after Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema cast his vote at
about 3pm.
Ebonyi State: Chief Dave
Umahi
The Ebonyi State deputy
governor and former PDP chairman in the Chief Dave Umahi emerged the
governorship candidate of the party, polling 541 votes to defeat his closest
rival Senator Igwe Nwagu (PDP, Ebonyi Central) who polled 15 votes.
Meanwhile, supporters of
Governor Martin Elechi, the leadership of the party in the state and the
mainstream members of the party, according to the Chief Press Secretary to the
Governor, Dr. Onyekachi Eni, did not participate in the election following the court
injunction asking INEC not to recognise any primary conducted by Chief Joseph
Onwe.
The former minister of
health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu was said to have boycotted the election following
the court injunction.
LEADERSHIP also gathered
that some of the delegates who are loyal to one of the aspirants received a sum
of N50, 000 each while other aspirants gave between N10,000 to N5,000 to each
of their delegates. The total number of delegates accredited by the committee
stands at 592.
Jigawa State: Malam Aminu
Ibrahim Ringim
The chief of staff to
Jigawa State governor Malam Aminu Ibrahim Ringim emerged the PDO governorship
flag bearer. He was unopposed after two other contestants cleared by the party
withdrew from the race few minutes to its commencement.
Those withdrawn from the
contest were former state commissioner of Land Architect Aminu Kane and former
member of the National Assembly Hon Abba Anas.
Cross River State:
Senator Ben Ayade
Vice chairman, Senate
Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator Ben Ayade, yesterday emerged as
the PDP governorship candidate in Cross River after scoring 752 votes to defeat
his Mr. Goddy Jedy Agba and Mr. Francis Eworo with five votes each.
Prior to the election
proper, four out of the10 aspirants shortlisted for the exercise, led by Mr.
Fidelis Ugbo, withdrew from the race to support Ayade.
Ayade, a serving senator
representing Cross River North in the Senate, is a professor of microbiology.
Delta: Senator Ifeanyi
Okowa
Serving Senator Ifeanyi
Okowa representing Delta North senatorial district in the upper chamber of the
National Assembly yesterday polled 406 votes to defeat David Edevbie who scored
299 votes
Announcing the results,
the returning officer, Mr. Sunday Karimu, declared that Senator Okowa scored
406 votes, David Edevbie , 299 votes ; Victor Ochei, 185 votes ; Charles
Elumelu, 50 votes ; Elder Godday Orubebe; 49 votes , and Dr Ngozi Olejeme, 2
votes.
Ogun State: PDP ignores,
NWC holds guber primary
…Obasanjo, Daniel absent
The PDP, through its
national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, postponed the gubernatorial
candidate in Ogun State, but the state chairman of the party, Engr Bayo Dayo,
said he was unaware of any directive, and insisted that the exercise should go
ahead.
However, only three
aspirants were present at the exercise held at the PDP Oke Mosan secretariat,
Kayode Amusan, Segun Adewale and Gboyega Isiaka. At the end of the exercise,
Gboyega Nasir was declared the winner having polled 705 to beat, leaving Kayode
Amusan, 150 votes, and one vote for Segun Adewale.
On the delegates’ list,
were names of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and Otunba Gbenga Daniel who
were conspicuously absent. The name of former speaker of House of
Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole, believed to be anointed candidate of the
presidency, was not on the list.
Pandemonium at Plateau
PDP Guber Primary
There was pandemonium at
Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, venue of the PDP governorship primaries just
before the commencement of voting by delegates.
The agents of some
aspirants protested that labels bearing each LG names be removed from the
ballot boxes. They explained that some local delegates are under threat from
the state government that if they did not vote for the anointed aspirant
alongside their LG chairmen. At the time of filing the report, voting was yet
to commence as there was confusion everywhere.
Lagos State: Jimi Agbaje
A pharmacist, Mr Jimi
Agbaje, has defeated former Minister of State for Defence, Ambassador Musiliu
Obanikoro, to clinch the Lagos State PDP governorship ticket for 2015. Agbaje
scored 432 votes while Obanikoro received 343 votes.
Hoodlums cause violence
…aspirant wears bullet
proof vest to venue
The PDP governorship
primaries in Lagos witnessed violence as hoodlums in their hundreds stormed the
Oregun, Ikeja, venue of the exercise, with security personnel, including
policemen having a hectic time warding them off.
The police had to fire
several canisters of tear gas, resulting in a stampede.
An aspirant, Mr.
Babatunde Gbadamosi, caused a stir when he appeared at the party’s governorship
primary in a bulletproof vest, which according to him, was to protect him from
stray bullets following the violence that erupted earlier in the day.
Imo State: Emeka Ihedioha
Deputy speaker of the
House of Representatives, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, has won the PDP governorship
primary conducted in Imo State yesterday.
Ihedioha got 346 votes to
beat his closest rival, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume who polled 336 votes. Former
state governor Ihedi Ohakim came third with 213 votes. A total of 1,064
delegates were accredited for the election and 1,017 delegates voted.
Nasarawa State: Yusuf
Agabi
A retired federal civil
servant, Dr. Yusuf Agabi, has emerged winner of the PDP governorship primary in
Nasarawa State as he defeated the former minister of Information, Mr Labaran
Maku, Senator Solomon Ewuga and six other contestants.
Agabi polled 214 votes,
his closest opponent Maku got 160 votes, former governor Aliyu Akwe Doma had 129
votes while initial favourite Sen. Ewuga got 31.
Former deputy governor
Chief John Abdul scored 28 votes while former Zamfara State military
administrator Col. Jibrin Bala Yakubu got four votes.
In a related development,
Sen. Abdullahi Adamu has defeated Gen. Ahmed Aboki to clinch APC senatorial
ticket for the Nasarawa West senatorial zone.
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