A gubernatorial aspirant in PDP in Edo State, Chief Anselm Ojezua has cried out that the party may be disqualified from the forthcoming gubernatorial election due to irregularities during the primaries.
Ojezua said this during an interview with Newsmen in Abuja yesterday .
According to him, this was based on the irregularities that marred the primary election of the ad-hoc delegates two weeks ago, where some of them were not allowed into the venue of the election.
The aspirant said that the development would have a negative impact on the outgoing governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki who have been wallowing in squabbles both within and outside the party.
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“The Appeal Committee met us and it was at 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, 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 the Edo Government House”, Ojezua said.
He observed that the Chairman of the Election Committee, Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State became an observer instead of Supervisor in the election.
He said that Governor Mbah came to the venue a day late.
“They had distributed these materials on the 3rd and the chairman appeared midday on the 4th and inspected two locations and expressed satisfaction.
“ I said that he misconceived his assignment, rather than being the one to conduct the election, 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.
“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 elections concurrently in 192 locations.
“We pointed out 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 is why we said that the process was compromised even before they started,“ The aspirant said, adding that all the results from the 192 wards were signed by The Chairman and his Secretary.
“In view of that the PDP stands the risk of not producing a candidate based on the irregularities.
“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”, he said.
