Even as the controversial factional governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was being held in Edo State yesterday, the Vice Chairman, South-South chapter of the party, Elder Emma Ogidi, has said no other exercise would be entertained.
The factional PDP chaired by Ebenezer Alabi and backed by the former Interim National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, insisted that they would hold the factional primary.
According to Alabi, “We are holding our governorship primary and the purpose of the primary is to conform with the ruling of the court. You are aware that a lot of our members are in court as to, who is the authentic leader of the PDP in Nigeria because of the aborted convention we had in Port Harcourt.”
Their position is buoyed by the decision of Matthew Iduoriyeknmewen to contest in the primary. Iduoriyeknmewen who lost in the earlier primary held by the state chapter of the party has since been suspended by PDP.
But Ogidi said in an interview with The Guardian, that the so called primary would not be tolerated because the process that led to the primary in which Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu emerged as the party’s candidate was constitutional and did not breach any rule.
Besides, he argued that Iduoriyeknmewen fully participated in the process that led to the primary, as he also participated in the primary.
“In Benin, we had three ad-hoc delegates elections and after that was concluded, each of the wards elected their executives and from there to local government and state congresses that produced the state executives.
“In addition, we had the statutory delegates – Board of Trustees (BoT) members, former national officers among others. The names of all the delegates were listed and the three aspirants were invited to a meeting and they were shown the list and all documents related to the primary.
“They examined, agreed and endorsed their signatures on all the documents. Even the voters cards used for the primary were endorsed by the three aspirants as well as by the state chairman and secretary of the party,” he stated.
“Many of us do not understand that this politics is not a do or die thing. Blackman unfortunately does no know how to accept defeat. President Goodluck Jonathan was the first person to concede defeat and that is why till tomorrow the All Progressives Congress (APC) cannot understand it,” he added.
Ogidi who was a former state chairman of the PDP in Delta State faulted Sheriff’s claimed that he loved PDP insisting that anyone who loved the party would not rock the party’s boat.
His words: “Chief Alex Ekwueme lost in Jos in 1998, he did not kill the party; he was BoT Chairman and was removed and he did not kill anybody. Prince Vincent Ogbulafor was removed as PDP National Secretary, he came back to become Chairman; Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo was removed as Secretary, he came back to become Chairman. So what are we talking about, if you love the party just work for it and keep quiet.”
He said he was convinced that Sheriff was an agent planted to destroy but noted that the former chairman might not be blamed because he was not with them from inception.
Sheriff came in only recently and he came from a very small party where he called the shots. But now the PDP is so big that the exit of one would not affect the party, he alleged.
Furthermore, he said: “Whereas in APC, if President Muhammadu Buhari exit today the North will leave the party, if Asiwaju Bola Tinubu exit today, the South West will leave APC. But let anybody exit PDP, PDP will remain the way it is, its just there, deep rooted.”
(Today.ng)