how the mighty once are already falling in the Primaries election

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.

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Posted by Donatus Joshua at 18:04