Few hours to the closure of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) last window of opportunity to field a candidate for Ajeromi Ifelodun Federal constituency’s House Representatives seat, no flag bearer has been officially announced at the scheduled rerun primaries till now.
The Lagos PDP Chairman Electoral Committee/Returning Officer Mr. Emmanuel Ogidi, who was saddled with the responsibility of conducting the exercise finds it hard to so do, given the furore that trailed the process.
The issue that led to the disruption of the exercise has to do with an alleged resistance by one of the two aspirants jostling for PDP Reps ticket in Ajeromi Ifelodun federal constituency, Chief Bartholomew Francis Chima that the adhoc delegates list forwarded from the national as availed by Ogidi is not authentic and so could not be used to execute the process.
Ogidi was also allegedly insulted by Chima’s conduct for brandishing a fake delegate list, which has since been collected as evidence against him.
He was also said to have tried to induce the RO with a promise of 7million naira if the list he brought was used to conduct the exercise .
The other aspirant Hon Rita Orji, who was a former House of Representatives member representing Ajeromi Ifelodun Federal constituency in a chat with Sunrise.ng earlier today, notes that she still awaits the report from the PDP national body.
According to Rita Orji who faulted the cited issue about the list, stressed that same list was used to conduct primaries for the State Assembly and Senate in the constituency.
“The list the Returning Officer brought was the one given to him from Abuja, how can that be said to be a fake list?
“Same list was used to conduct the state Assembly and Senate primaries, this leaves the national with no other choice but to take a stand.
“As we speak my 33 delegates are still ready for the primaries and are waiting at the chosen venue for the process, as the name of the eventual winner need be forwarded to INEC anytime from now, today been the last day. I only await the report of the national now.” Rita said.
All efforts to reach Francis Chima (aka OMOBARCA) proved abortive, prior the time of filing this report, in order for him to give reactions on the allegations levelled against him.
Speaking on phone, the Lagos State PDP Chairman, Mr. Phillip Aivoji notes that the whole primaries exercise is now handled by the party’s national body to the point of candidates name submission at INEC, adding that he only pledged to work with anyone that eventually clinched the party’s ticket.
The former Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce Aivoji stated that his sole interest now remains ensuring party’s victory at polls and not in any candidate.
“The National is solely responsible for the primaries held across Lagos to the point of name submission at INEC.
“I only pledged to work with any candidate that is eventually churned out to be our party’s flag bearer, I have no interest in any candidate perse .
It will be recalled that the window afforded for rerun primaries to be conducted in the 24 Federal constituencies in Lagos State was slated for Monday June 6, 2022.