Ondo 2020: PDP aspirants reject alleged doctored delegates list

Less than 10 days to the primary election of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state, seven out of eight governorship aspirants of the party have rejected the delegates list for the primary election, alleging that the list has been doctored to favour one of the aspirants in the race for the party’s ticket.

They alleged that more than 110 fake names had been injected into the Adhoc delegates’ list of the PDP.

The aspirants however appealed to the Appeal Committee of Adhoc delegates congress led by the former governor of Gombe State, Mr Hassan Ibahim Dankwambo, to replace the doctored delegates list with the original lists from the various wards in the state.

According to the aspirants, the insertion could cause a major crisis within the party and ruin the chances of PDP in the next governorship election.

Similarly, the leaders of the PDP have kicked against the ad-hoc delegates lists compiled by Mr Kingsley Chinda, the Secretary of the Committee alleging fraud.

The chairman of the party in the state, Clement Faboyede who spoke on behalf of the PDP Caretaker Committee in the state, described the change of delegates list by Chinda led committee to favour an aspirant as a fraud.

He explained that the committee led by Chinda did not submit or give him a copy of the final results of the ad-hoc delegates ward congresses before the committee left the state.

According to him, he got a copy 48 hours after the committee had left Akure, saying this was against the party’s guideline.

The Elders’ Council of the party led by Chief Segun Adegoke, urged the party to desist from any action that could affect the chances of the party in the governorship election in the state, noting that several congresses have been conducted in the state without complaints.

He noted that the committee wanted to ruin the chances of PDP in Ondo State by perpetrating an electoral fraud that could destroy the party and cause a crisis.

The chairman of the Appeal panel, Dankwambo, after listening to the complaints of the aspirants and other leaders of the party, promised to dispense justice and make his judgement known to everyone.

He explained that it is only the National Working Committee of the PDP in Abuja that can give the final verdict on the authentic list.

He noted that the committee wanted to ruin the chances of PDP in Ondo State by perpetrating an electoral fraud that could destroy the party and cause a crisis.

The chairman of the Appeal panel, Dankwambo, after listening to the complaints of the aspirants and other leaders of the party, promised to dispense justice and make his judgement known to everyone.

He explained that it is only the National Working Committee of the PDP in Abuja that can give the final verdict on the authentic list.

The seven governorship aspirants of the PDP include, Ayorinde Bode, Ebiseni Sola, Eyitayo Jegede, Kunlere Boluwaji, Okunomo Banji, Olafeso Eddy, and Gooday Erewa.

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Mr Babatope Okeowo, said the attack on the deputy governor is misplaced, noting the aspirants are jittery because of the political popularity of Ajayi ahead of the party primary.

He urged the aspirants to channel their grievances through the national secretariat of the party, saying the since Ajayi has no access to delegate list, there was no way he could doctor the list.

Okeowo said, “This allegation coming from some PDP governorship aspirants is not only laughable and false but an attempt to blackmail the deputy governor and members of the committee who are in the state for the compilation of the adhoc delegates’ list for the July 20, 2020 party primary.

“The deputy governor has become the nightmare of his political adversaries within PDP and their allies in the All Progressives Congress, (APC) in the state because of his political capital and rising popularity.

“Hon Agboola Ajayi has said repeatedly that he is not desperate for PDP’s ticket but would make himself available for party members among the array of qualified aspirants of the party seeking the ticket of the party for October 10, 2020 governorship election.”