Controversial Primaries: How are the mighty fallen!

The Psalms, in which David was lamenting the deaths of Saul, the king of Israel, and his son, Jonathan, made this headline popular. But the headline also applies to the gubernatorial primaries of the two dominant political parties – PDP and APC – across the states which saw anointed aspirants losing the tickets for the 2015 polls. For instance, in Ebonyi State, the candidate of Governor Martins Elechi, a former Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, lost the PDP ticket. Adamawa State Governor James Bala Ngilari lost the ticket to a former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu, while in Lagos State, a former minister, Musiliu Obanikoro, was floored by Mr Jimi Agbaje. Sokoto State deputy governor, Mukhtar Shagari, was denied the ticket.

In Oyo State, former Governor Adebayo Alao Akala, seeking to return to the office he vacated in 2011, was humbled by a former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin. The situation, as reported by our correspondents:

Rivers: Fears over Wike’s, Peterside’s emergence

The emergence of Nyesom Wike and Dakuku Peterside as gubernatorial candidates of the PDP and APC respectively did not come to keen observers of political events in Rivers State as a surprise.

At a caucus meeting attended by a handful of leaders of the APC in Government House, Port Harcourt, Peterside was adopted as the consensus candidate of the party for the governorship election.

It was strictly an affair of the caucus as no reporter was allowed into the meeting. As if it was also a decision of the caucus not to speak to the media on the outcome of the meeting, no statement was issued on the resolution.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that Governor Chibuike Amaechi presided over the meeting. The state Chairman of the party, Dr Davies Ikanya who had an interactive session with journalists after the caucus meeting, also parried questions on the decision of the caucus.

Few days later, the party, at a special guber primary election with Peterside as the only contestant, elected him its flag bearer for the 2015 governorship election.
The Chairman of the election panel, Prince Eweka, said 3,914 delegates voted for him but the valid votes were, 3773 while 140 votes were voided.

Why Peterside?
Amaechi, the leader of the party in the state, explained that they had to go for Peterside, from Rivers south east senatorial district to appease the area that had not produced a governor since the creation of the state.

According to him, Senator Magnus Abe, who was also eyeing the ticket and is from the district, was qualified as they had to choose one person out of the two.

Ogonis react
Meanwhile, choice of Peterside did not go down well with the Ogoni who are also from the Rivers south east senatorial district. They had expected Abe to be chosen.

According to the national president, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, Mr Legborsi Pyagbara, Ogoni is the only ethnic group that has not produced a governor , deputy, Chief Judge or Speaker since the creation of the state. Legborsi, in a statement, called on the APC to reverse the decision.

Ogoni youths also stormed the street protesting the action of the party. They marched to Government House gate in Port Harcourt where the police dispersed them with tear gas.
One of them was allegedly shot by the police during the protest, an act the police denied.

How Wike emerged
In the PDP, opposition from the Ogoni against the emergence of Wike as the flag bearer of the party was not loud. This is largely due to their reckoning that the chances of their sons in the race for the party’s gubernatorial ticket were slim.

In meantime, the emergence of Wike is being challenged by 18 aspirants of the party who snubbed the primary election.
Wike, a former Minister of State for Education, won landslide in the governorship primary of the PDP.

The aspirant, who polled a total of 1,083 votes out of the 1,108 votes cast in the primary election in Port Harcourt, was declared winner by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Mr Beke-Akpo Etifa.

According to the result, Senator Lee Maeba, who represented Rivers south east senatorial district in the Senate, got one vote, Mr Dumbari Dimkpa polled 21 votes, Binabo West scored three while Mr Georgewill Emmanuel had one vote.

18 aspirants shunned the exercise.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that some of them were in court seeking to, among other things, disqualify Wike from participating in the exercise on the grounds that his involvement violated the party’s alleged constitutional provision for power rotation.

Those who snubbed the primary election include Odein Ajumogonia, SAN, Gabriel Pidomson, Major Lancelot Anyaya rtd, Engr Sampson Ngeribara, Bar Dumo Lulu Brigs, Oseleye
Dennis Ojuka, Engr Bekinbo Dagogo Jack, Bar Nimi Walson Jack, Prof Don Baridom, Prince Tonye Princewill, and Mr Abieatedoghu Bob-Abbey Hart
17 of the aspirants who briefed the press shortly after the guber primary election of the party described the exercise as a sham, stressing that it violated every known and treasured tenet of democracy.

They spoke at the campaign office of Major Lancelot Anyayan rtd, in Port Harcourt. According to Major Anyayan rtd, the election had been skewed to favor Wike from the ward
congress election.

16 of the aspirants, hitherto styled the Aggrieved 16 before their number rose to 18 had boycotted the ward congress of the PDP where delegates were elected. They had among other things alleged that the state leadership of the party was a puppet of Wike, thus acting his script to produce only delegates that would endorse him as candidate of the party.

How Peterside and Wike can manage the fallouts from their emergence as the candidates of their parties would to some extent determine the direction of things at the general polls next year.

Plateau: Jang’s senator’s curious swap

At inception, the Plateau State chapter of the APC seemed not up to the task of organizing itself as the party practically had no structure on ground to show any sign of seriousness on the part of the interim officials.

More so, the congress which produced the state executives almost tore the party apart as there emerged two factions led by the incumbent Chairman, Latep Dabang, and Amos Gombi who recently defected to the PDP.

Funding was also a major headache of the APC as the Dabang faction, who could not occupy the Kalwa House office of the party, then taken over by the Gombi faction, was holding meetings in hotels.

Relief however came the way of the party when some presidential aspirants, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, governor of Kano State, Musa Kwankwaso, Imo State Governor Rochas Okoroacha, extended kind gesture to the party and assisted some aspirants with fund to start their campaigns.

This led to the kick starting of political activities as the party was able to acquire and furnish a new office at Ewarewah House, Jos.
Shortly after, six aspirants, Simon Lalong, Alex Kwapnoe, Solomon Dalung, Emmanuel Garba, Selchang Maina Jnr and Venmak Dangin, declared their interests in the gubernatorial seat.

On the day of the election, Kwapnoe stepped down leaving five aspirants.

Lalong, a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, polled 2,222 votes to defeat Dalung (293 votes), Garba (304 votes), Maina (50 votes) and Dangin (0 vote).

Meanwhile, everything went wrong with the PDP gubernatorial primary election in the state.

Immediately after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, gave the nod for the commencement of the activities geared towards the 2015 general elections, issues of who should succeed Governor Jonah Jang began to take centre stage.

The governor however sprang a surprise when he announced he was to swap his seat with Senator Gyang Nyam Shom Pwajok who is from the governor’s village, Du, in Jos South local government area.

The governor insisted there was no zoning in Plateau state and asked every eligible person to get the forms and contest for the seat.
On primary election day, delegates, officials, aspirants and others gathered at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, venue of the event amidst tight security due to the volatile nature of Jos North local government area as well as the tension which the process generated.

15 of the 16 aspirants and their agents protested the process of the exercise complaining that “government has concluded plan to rig us out even before the process began.”

They complained about the tagging of the ballot boxes according to local government areas as well as conflicting figures and names of delegates.
At the end of voting, Pwajok emerged the Plateau PDP candidate.

Some aspirants expressed dissatisfaction with the process and called for the cancellation and a new date fixed for a fresh exercise.
Briefing journalists in Jos, the aspirants, including Amb. Fidelis Tapgun, Dr. Haruna Dabin, Sen. Victor Lar, Arc. John Alkali, Engr. Jimmy Cheto, Prof. Sonni Tyoden and Apostle Chris Bature described the exercise as “show of shame.”

They alleged that Jonah Jang seeks to establish a “Jang dynasty” by attempting to “install a successor in a brutish manner, a situation capable of tearing the state apart and destroying the fragile peace”.

Ebonyi: Why the gov’s candidate, ex-minister lost

THE governorship primary of the PDP in Ebonyi State was peaceful contrary to the expectations of many stakeholders and party supporters across the state.
People were surprised about the absence of Governor Martin Elechi’s consensus candidate, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who had boasted that he would participate in the primary election.

The deputy governor of the state, Dave Umahi, at the end of the keenly contested election, emerged the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP.

The exercise, which took place at the Abakaliki Township Stadium, was contested by eight aspirants including Umahi, Mr Paul Okorie, Dr. Aja Nwachkwu, Chief Hycinth Ikpo, Senator Paulinus Igwe Nwagu, Chief Michael Ude Udumanta, Senator Offia Nwali and Chukwu.

Announcing the result of the primary that had 592 delegates, the Chairman of the Electoral Panel and governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, declared the deputy governor who polled 541 votes as the winner and gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Ebonyi in the 2015 general elections.

One of the factors that gave Umahi advantage over the candidate of his boss, Chukwu, was the alleged flawed process that produced him as the PDP gubernatorial consensus candidate and the failure of Elechi to adhere to the PDP’s constitution on the election of party executives.

Many indigenes of Afikpo North LGA, where Chukwu, the immediate past Health Minister, hails from, are blaming the governor for pulling out their son from the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan only to be rubbished in the state politics.

They argued that Elechi’s failure to create a political future for Chukwu was a reflection of his weakness and lack of total control of the PDP in the state.
This failure led to the decamping of some PDP faithful who are now faced with a bleak political future to Labour Party in Ebonyi.
The defectors include the governor’s son, Elechi Elechi; his brother in-law, Senator Chris Nwankwo; and two members of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tobias Okwuru representing Ikwo/Ezza South and Peter Ogali Ohaukwu/ Ebonyi.

Meanwhile, some stakeholders in Ebonyi argued that if Elechi was sincere in his decision to zone Ebonyi governorship to the South senatorial district of the state, he would have insisted on Chukwu becoming the gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party to remedy the loss of the former Health Minister.

The gubernatorial primary election of the APC in the state ended with a result that is still being contested by a chieftain of the party, Chief Igwe Edeze.
During the two-day exercise, one policeman was reportedly injured while vehicles belonging to chieftains of the party were destroyed as thugs invaded the party secretariat, venue of the exercise.

Hell was let loose by hoodlums as it became clear that some aspirants were losing the election.

The spokesman for Ebonyi State Police Command, ASP Chris Anyanwu, confirmed that about 100 suspected thugs were arrested in connection with the incident.

“Over 100 of the hoodlums have been arrested; they injured one of the policemen posted to the area and he is presently receiving treatment”.
Meanwhile, one of the APC gubernatorial aspirants, Chief Igwe Edeze, rejected the result of the primary election.

He called on the national secretariat of the APC to declare him winner of the primary election alleging that irregularities were employed by his co-aspirants to upturn the electoral process which was already tilting towards his favour.

He accused Senator Julius Ali Ucha of employing violence to emerge the winner of the election.
But Ucha dismissed the allegation, stressing that nobody could associate him with violence especially during electioneering campaigns.

Benue: A former minister fights back

The primary elections leading to the emergence of the PDP governorship candidate in Benue State could be said to be anything but smooth for the over 18 aspirants who went through the tortuous journey of the contest.

At the commencement of the race for the state Government House, no fewer than 28 aspirants from both the Tiv and Idoma speaking areas of the state indicated interest for the plum job.

At the time it was common knowlege that the position had been zone to the Masev, Ihiarev and Nongov socio-political bloc, though the Idomas in the Benue south also contended that they deserved a first time opportunity to produce the next chief executive of the state.

However, their position was more like a voice in the forest since the numerical strength of a people remains a major factor and key determinant in any political race; and this the Tivs are ever ready to put to good use after all, as it is said, in politics, the minority will also have their say but the majority will certainly have their way.
Hence, the number of the aspirants especially from the Tiv speaking area of the state prompted the intervention of the Tiv Area Traditional Council, TATC, which found it wise to prune down the number of the aspirants from the area to four.

The decision saw the council opting for Prince Terhemen Tarzoor, Mr. Hinga Biem, Dr. Samuel Ortom and Engr. Felix Atume as its preferred candidates.
The action of the TATC did not, however, go down well with the other aspirants who protested, insisting that their constitutional rights to seek elective offices were being infringed by the paramount rulers.

They were all then allowed to carry on with their campaigns but suffice it to state that the decision of the TATC went a long way to sway the electorate, especially from the majority Tiv areas of Benue, who saw reason in the decision and invariably queued behind their paramount rulers.

Therefore, reading the handwriting on the wall, on the night of the governorship primary, it was no surprise that, of the 18 aspirants that finally bought the PDP nomination and declaration of interest forms, 10 decided to back out of the race.

They were Prof. David Ker, David Nongo, Andy Uwuokwu, Alex Adum, Hinga Biem, Felix Atume, Dr. Tivlumun Nyitse, Eugene Aliegba, Comrade Simon Anchaver and Dr. James Mbachiantim.

Those who decided to test their political strength included Dr. Mathais Oyigeya, Dr. Terhemba Shija, former Attorney General of the Federation Mike Aoundoakaa, Dr. Sam Ode and Dr. Ada Chenge.

Others are the Deputy Governor, Chief Steven Lawani, a former Minister of State, Trade and Investments, Dr. Samuel Ortom and the former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assemly, Prince Terhemen Tarzoor.

At the end of voting, which spilled into the early hours of last Tuesday, Tarzoor polled 517 votes beat his closest rival, Lawani, who polled 315 votes, while Ortom came a distant third with 111 votes.

Oyigeya secured four votes, Shija 3, Aoundoakaa, 25, Ode, 48 and Chenge, 47.

At the end of the exercise, Tarzoor was returned the winner of the contest by the Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Adamu Daura.

In his acceptance speech, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Benue said the result of the election was “the manifestation of the voices of the members of the rulling PDP, with this I have that audacity of hope of our victory at the general elections.”

However, a few days after, one of the contestants, Ortom, tendered his resignation from the PDP, citing “injustice” meted out to him and his supporters in the excersise as the reason for his action.

Hours after tendering his resignation, Ortom went ahead to pick the governorship declaration of interest and nomination forms of the opposition APC on which platform he intends to pursue his gubernatorial ambition.

Meanwhile, other aspirants have continued to shower congratulatory messages on the winner of the contest, vowing to rally round him to ensure the victory of the PDP in the forthcoming general elections in the state.

However pundits are of the view that some of the defeat aspirants may be putting up a bold face by remaining in the PDP but could be preparing grounds to play the saboteurs against the party in the coming elections; but the picture of this argument would certainly become clearer in the weeks ahead.

Kwara: Trouble in the PDP

In Kwara State, since Senator Bukola Saraki announced his support for the incumbent governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed’s second term bid,keen
watchers of politics in the state knew that the gubernatorial primary of the APC would be a walk over for Ahmed.

But in the case of the opposition PDP in the state, irreconciliable differences between 11 aspirants and a fellow contestant over the allegation that the party and the Presidency doctored the delegates list in favor of the latter showed clearly that the party’s gubernatorial primary would be a battle field of a sort and so it was.
In the case of the ruling APC, there were strong indications that a former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who lost his plum office because of his loyalty to Saraki, was also keenly interested in the office; same with the

Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Abdulrazaq Atunwa, who keenly contested with the incumbent in 2007; and the elderly among them, a former National Secretary of the then PDP, but now chieftain of APC, Abubakar Kawu Baraje.

But since the announcement of the incumbent governor for second term, there had been no opposition to his endorsement by Saraki and so the gubernatorial primary held inside Kwara State Stadium was rancor free.

Ahmed won the Kwara APC gubernatorial ticket with 3,016 votes.

But tension enveloped the Stella Obasanjo Multi Purpose Hall, Ilorin, venue of the accreditation of the about 709 delegates, for the PDP primary on Monday, and the voting centre,an event centre some few metres away.

And there were rumors of another screening of delegates simultaneously going on in one
hotel along Obafemi Awolowo Way, GRA, Tanke, Ilorin which was not officially known
to many.

Speaking with journalists at the accreditation venue, the state police commissioner, Alhaji Salihu Garba, lauded the peaceful conduct of the delegates.

On the alleged move to conduct a parallel congress by some aggrieved PDP governorship aspirants, the CP assured that nothing like that would be allowed.

Also speaking,the state chairman of the party in Kwara, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo, told journalists that voting had been finalised.

He debunked the allegation by 12 of the 13 aspirants that another primary was being planned at another venue.

Around 7pm, activities were shifted to Canta Arca Events Centre, where the gubernatorial primary
to came to an abrupt end about 9.30pm as delegates started to exchange blows over the alleged presence of fake delegates among them.

All the aspirants were present in the centre except Mr Muhammed Dele Belgore, SAN.

The aspirants present were Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem, Alhaji Akeem Lawal, Alhaji Bio Issa Ibrahim, Alhaji Kale Belgore,Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, Mr. Sunday Babalola, Senator Mokanjuola Ajadi,Alhaji Abdullahi Sanusi and Deacon John Dara.

Trouble started when chairmen of the party in the 16 local government areas of the state were called out to affirm the delegates.

When it was the turn of Ilorin west local government, two chairmen came out, and engaged
in a fisticuffs, followed by their supporters who smashed chairs.

Police officers on standby watched helplessly as the PDP members dealt themselves blows.

Sporadic gunshots followed and everybody fled. That marked the end of the KWARA PDP gubernatorial primary.

In a reaction to the claim by 11 of the 12 gubernatorials that there was a doctored delegates list, the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Sulaiman Abubakar,who is also a PDP leader in the state, described it as baseless and called for calm even as he assured the aspirants of a level-playing ground.

The aggrieved aspirants had accused Abubakar, Oyedepo and a business woman, Hajia Muinat Bole, of desperately working for the emergence of Belgore through the back door as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Kwara.

The aspirants spokesman, Senator Ajibola, blamed the trio for allegedly inflating the delegates list of 709 to over 1,000 to favour Belgore and warned that any attempt to impose any candidate on the party in the state will be rejected.

But Belgore described the action of the 11 aspirants “as a gang up, driven by envy and evil machinations designed by enemies of the people of Kwara.”
Ajibola has, in the meantime, emerged as the gubernatorial candidate in the state in the rescheduled primary election.

Abia: The zoning joker

The PDP gubernatorial primary in Abia State produced the immediate past Deputy General Manager (DGM) of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) in charge of Aba and environs, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu as the winner.

Ikpeazu polled 487 votes to beat other contestants in the exercise held at the Umuahia Township Stadium.

Oil magnet and CEO of Masters Energy, Dr Uche Sampson Oga, came second with 103 votes. A former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, polled 33 votes, Mr Friday Nwosu, five votes, a former deputy governor of the state, Elder Acho Nwakamma, five votes, a former Nigeria’s Consular General to South Africa, Okey Emuchay, three votes, a former CEO of defunct Hallmark Bank, Chief Marc Wabara, three votes while a three-time aspirant to the plum position in the state, Chief Okezie Orji, one vote.

All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and APC, expected to make significant impact in next year’s gubernatorial election, also concluded their primaries.
For APGA, there are parallel candidates in the persons of Chief Reagan Ofomba and a former MD of Diamond Bank, Chief Alex Otti.

For the APC, Chief Ayim Nyerere is its governorship candidate.
Nyerere is from Obingwa local government area of Abia South with Ikpeazu, the PDP candidate while Ufomba and Otti, parallel candidates of APGA, are from Abia Central.
It is expected that a former governor of the state, Chief Chris Akomas, will on Thursday, declare to contest the state governorship election under the United Progressive Party (UPP).
At press time, there was no protest against the conduct of the PDP gubernatorial election by any of the aspirants in the state although there were criticisms over the composition of the congress committee that produced delegates for the primary election.

One major factor that played out in the PDP primary election is the issue of zoning of the gubernatorial ticket to Abia South.
Governor T.A. Orji and the party had said the senatorial zone deserved the governorship slot having not tasted the position since 23 years ago when Abia was created.
Apart from Ogah from Abia North, the other seven aspirants were from Abia South.

It is believed that the state governor and the party having decided on the Ikpeazu as their anointed candidate applied all the strings to ensure his delivery at the primary election and, despite Ogah’s popularity in the state, he ended up in the second position.

Category: NEWS