THERE was confusion on Monday, at the Presidential Lodge of the Adamawa State Government House Yola, during a press conference convened by the electoral committee sent to Adamawa State by the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, to supervise the conduct of the state House of Assembly Primaries.
Trouble started when the chairman of the electoral committee, Ambassador Tim Ihemadu, announced that he had concluded the assignment that brought him to the state, just as he said that he had made available duplicate copies of the result sheets to the party executives.
The suspended chairman of the party, Chief Joel Madaki, who was at the venue, however, insisted that the chairman of the electoral committee must announce the names.
The disagreement between the chairman of the electoral committee and Madaki, charged the atmosphere as other party executives joined Madaki in their insistence that the result must be announced.
Reacting to the demands of Madaki and the party executives, Iheamadu said the announcement of the names of winners was outside the constitutional mandate of his committee. He stated that he was working in consonance with the guidelines of the conduct of the election.
“I have the guidelines and I am working in consonance with the guidelines that was given to me to conduct this election.
“I have done my work, and if you believe my work is not properly done, you have the appropriate quarters to channel your complaints to.
“The electoral guidelines for the purpose of the House of Assembly primaries states clearly that at the various constituencies where these various nominations are conducted, the returning officer in charge of the primaries should announce the results publicly before those who attended the election and it is declared there and then,” he said.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that when pressure was mounted on the chairman, he tactically changed his stance and gave the list to one of the members of the committee, Mr Sani Aliyu who made the announcement.
THE Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) primaries for the House of Assembly in Delta State, have been described as free and fair, juist as losers have been advised to accept the result in good fate.
Former speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, and currently member representing Ika South in the House, Honourable Martin Okonta made the assessment at the end of the election for the constituency at Agbor.
The local government party chairman, Mr Isaac Ulebor was declared winner with 52 votes in the election, followed by Honourable Cordelia Anyagwu, a former member of the State Universal Primary Education Board (SUPEB) who got 15 votes.
THE majority leader of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Honourable Godiya Akwashiki, representing Nasarawa-Eggon East Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alongside 12 other serving legislators of the party, were announced winners of the just concluded state assembly primary elections held throughout the 24 constituencies in the state.
The chairman of the electoral committee, Alhaji Aliyu Sani, who disclosed this at the state PDP Secretariat in Lafia, the state capital, on Monday, however, added that the exercise was carried out without rancour. He stated that a run off election would be conducted in Keana Constituency because two candidates scored the same votes.
He explained that seven out of the 14 members namely: Mohammed Okpede, Doma North, Yahaya Usman Ugya- Umaisha, Ada Goje-Toto- Gadabuk, Aliyu Umar-Awe North, Abdulkarim Usman-Wamba, as well as Godiya Akwashiki, Nasarawa-Eggon East and Raphael Saka of Kokona east constituencies, were all returned unopposed.
RIVERS State Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) governorship aspirant, Mr Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that he will diligently transform Rivers State and improve on the lives of the people, when he takes over the Government House, Port Harcourt, in 2015.
The PDP governorship aspirant spoke in Bonny on Monday, where he met with PDP delegates, commissioned New Rivers Vision Office and addressed PDP stakeholders at an open forum.
He said when he assumed office, that he would redefine development in the state, ensure infrastructural development of all 23 local government areas and human capital development, just as he said he would enhance the participation of people in governance.
Wike charged the Bonny people to demand accountability from their children serving in the outgoing administration, saying that on no account should the stooge of a non-performer be allowed to continue with the years of non-performance in the state.
He said: “We must begin to ask those serving with the outgoing administration what they have done with enormous resources at their disposal.
“I urge Bonny Delegates to vote me on December 8 during the PDP governorship primary and go ahead to vote me during the governorship election. We have to change the fortunes of Rivers State. The people of Bonny know my pedigree as a performer.”
THE national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State, have disagreed on the conduct of the state primaries to elect state assembly candidates.
While the governor said there was no primaries conducted in the state as scheduled for last weekend, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party insisted that the primaries held as scheduled.
The governor had announced over the weekend, that the scheduled primaries had been postponed to enable the parties involved in a dispute over the primaries to have more time to resolve their differences.
However, members of the party in the state led by the acting state chairman of the PDP, went ahead to conduct the primaries which the national leadership now recognised.
According to a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja on Monday, the primaries for the a House of assembly election was conducted in Ebonyi State as scheduled.
The statement said: “Contrary to speculations from some quarters, the PDP wishes to confirm that its House of Assembly primaries in Ebonyi State held as scheduled on Saturday, November 29, 2014.”
10 lawmakers re-elected, 14 others emerge in Bayelsa
By Hassan Ibrahim and Ayomide Owonibi
TEN out of the 24 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly have been re-elected for another term of four years, in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state congresses, held nationwide, on Saturday.
The returnees, as contained in a result sheet signed by the party’s electoral committee, Honourable Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar, and made available to the newsmen by the party’s state publicity secretary were: Honourable Omonibeke Kemelayefa, (Ekeremor 2), Honourable Emelah Gentle, (Yenagoa 3), Honourable Akpe Peter Pereotubo, (Sagbama 1), Honourable Tonye Isenah, (Kolokuma/Opokuma 1), Honourable Monday Buboy E. Obolo, (Southern Ijaw 2) and Honourable Baraladei Igali, (Southern Ijaw 3), among others.
THE festering crisis over who becomes the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2015, took a new dimension on Monday, as the party’s South-West Zonal Organising Secretary, Chief Femmy Carrena, declared that former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, remains a candidate to beat.
Carrena said this in reaction to a statement credited to an elder of the party, Mr Kamal Giwa and two others from Lagos Island, declaring Obanikoro’s rival, Mr Jimi Agbaje as winner of the PDP just-concluded state House of Assembly primaries. They urged the former minister to withdraw from the governorship race and support Agbaje to become next governor of Lagos.
Giwa had at a press conference he addressed on Sunday, alongside others at the Ikoyi residence of former deputy national chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, disclosed that results from the party primaries indicated that Agbaje scored 95 per cent in the exercise.
According to him, Agbaje’s camp produced 35 House of Assembly candidates against five candidates from Obanikoro’s, saying that from the record on ground, Obanikoro should consider himself out of the governorship race in the state.
PDP constitutes 3-man reconciliation committee for Ebonyi
THE National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has constituted a special three-man reconciliation committee to reconcile its major stakeholders in Ebonyi State.
This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Olisa Metuh, the PDP National Publicity Secretary on Monday in Abuja.
The statement said the essence, was to achieve the desired unity in the state, before the 2015 general election.
Members of the committee according to the statement, include: Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State and Governor Ayodele Fayose of State.
The statement, however, added that the result of the November 29, Ebonyi State House of Assembly primary election, had since been received by the party‘s National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
It urged members of the party, especially in Ebonyi, to totally regard any other report as incorrect.
