Protests mark PDP congresses in Kwara, Adamawa, Osun

Posted by admin Adamawa, Kwara, Osun, Party Politics, Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP), State News Thursday, December 30th, 2010

Some aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kwara State on Thursday protested what they described as the allocation of votes in the state congresses conducted on Tuesday.

The PDP supporters also alleged that in some places, like Kwara Central, elections never took place but results were written by certain individuals in their private residences.

The protest took place just as the state branch of the Peoples Democratic Party denied imposing any candidates, insisting that the elections were free, fair and credible.

Similarly, the exercise in Adamawa State has been described by Senator Jibrin Aminu (PDP Adamawa) as a mockery of democracy.

The leader of the Kwara protest and chairman, Foundation for Better Nigeria, Kwara State chapter, Captain Shedrach Popoola, who addressed journalists in Ilorin, the state capital, noted that what happened during the congress was a manifestation of serious irregularities and suppression of the people’s choice.

According to him, “In many parts of the state, there were no ward congresses at all as the government agents just made sure they wrote names of party members that were loyal to them.

“In some local governments, where majority of party members insisted on having normal and real ward congresses, it was a show of shame for the agents of government as the results showed that they were not on the ground.

“For example, in Oyun and Irepodun local government areas, in all the wards, the government people found it difficult to overpower the people’s choice and as such were floored there. This action, if not well handled, will cause the final destruction of the PDP in the state.”

Popoola, who was with his supporters, called on the national chairman and the national executive committee of the PDP to intervene in “this Kwara madness and electoral fraud” by nullifying elections in areas where delegates were imposed.”

The aggrieved members warned that if the situation was not rectified, it would cause intra-party wrangling and scuttle the chances of the party in 2011.

But reacting to the allegation of rigging, the spokesman of the party in the state, Alhaji Isiaka Danmairomo, noted that the poll was not only free and fair, but was devoid of any rancour.

He accused the group of being bad losers, adding that they should learn to accept defeat in good faith.

According to him, “It is a lie that congresses did not hold. Those that are protesting should learn to take defeat in its stride and move on. Elections were held in the 193 local governments in the state. Some politicians will give any excuse for failing. There is no truth in what they are saying.”

Senator Jibrin Aminu (PDP-Adamawa) said that the PDP could lose mass support if it failed to address the complaints of aggrieved members over Tuesday’s nationwide ward delegates elections.

Speaking to newsmen in Yola, Aminu, who criticised the election in Adamawa, said if the party failed to attend to the petitions, it stood the risk of protest votes against the party in the forthcoming general elections.

“Nigerians have choices, there are many parties with credible people; there is no reason why people will come to us if we did not behave ourselves,” Aminu said.

The senator lamented that in spite of the people’s hope for a credible election next year, what obtained at Tuesday’s delegates election in some states, particularly in Adamawa, was unfortunate.

“Credible election does not start on the polling day; anybody who thinks that credible election starts on the polling day does not really understand the process. The pre-primary stages are very important,” he said.

The senator, who is aspiring to retain his seat in Adamawa Central Zone, described the ward election in the state as unacceptable, accusing the party leadership and the PDP-led state government of hijacking the exercise.

“Adamawa is a politically-advanced state. I don’t think our people can be hoodwinked by anybody. We can’t be suppressed or made zombies by anybody,” Aminu said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the ward delegates’ election of the PDP in Adamawa drew mixed reactions from party chieftains and aspirants.

Also, report from Osun State said, controversy trailed the Peoples Democratic Party congresses in the state,

on Thursday, as some aspirants accused the state leadership of the party of imposition of candidates.

Two of the aspirants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the congresses were marked with favourtism.

An aspirant from Osun-West accused the state leadership of the party of working for the emergence of members of the Senator Iyiola Omisore group as candidates. Omisore, who denied the allegation in a telephone interview with our correspondent, on Thursday, said some aspirants might be dropping his name in other to get political favours.

He said, “I’m not in Osun. I do not know anything about that allegation.”

Director of Publicity, Osun PDP, Mr Adeolu Adeyemo, also denied the allegation, saying that the party witnessed a free and fair congresses.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State screening of aspirants for the National Assembly under the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State has commenced amid controversy.

The screening earlier slated to commence on Wednesday eventually commenced around 2pm on Thursday with the screening of the state governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, an aspirant for the Ogun East Senatorial Zone in the 2011 general elections.

Our correspondent gathered that the delay in the commencement of the screening exercise might not be unconnected with the disagreements among some of the aspirants who faulted the choice of the venue for the screening.

The PDP had been factionalised in the state with some members faulting the venue of the screening.

The group believed a neutral ground ought to have been chosen for the screening exercise.

On the controversy over the venue of the screening exercise, the committee chairman said, “Our choice of venue does not mean that we are recognising any faction. We are not here to dabble into the factions issue. The party must put its house in order and if we must win elections we must mend fences.”wp_posts