More reactions trail Ekiti guber poll, Osun PDP primary election result

Two chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have reacted to the recent gubernatorial poll and primary election for the position in Ekiti and Osun states.

The two prominent stakeholders are Senator Buruji Kashamu and Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi who contested the PDP gubernatorial primary in Osun State.

Senator Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner of the 21st July, 2018 exercise in Osun which Ogunbiyi kicked against.

The Osun State gubernatorial election holds on September 22, 2018.

In a speech after the exercise, Ogunbiyi said: “The outcome of that primary election has been a subject of concern to a great majority of our party members who have been disappointed, disillusioned and confused by the conduct of the exercise and the results as declared by the panel led by His Excellency, Governor Seriake Dickson.

Some of the major issues, which compromised the integrity of the exercise and made the results clearly unacceptable include the non-adherence to the clear provisions of the electoral guidelines and unfortunate manipulation of the accreditation, voting, sorting and counting of the votes cast by delegates at the primaries.

“Consequent upon these infractions, therefore, the votes attributed to me at the end of the voting exercise were much lower than what I actually scored as valid votes.

I have, therefore, resolved to use the internal mechanism of the party to seek an immediate redress of this clear case of injustice which is contrary to the spirit of transparency and justice being propagated by the new leadership of our party led by the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.”

He thanked party leaders, co-contestants and all delegates from the 332 wards in Osun State “who came to express their clear preference for me as the person most suitable to fly the flag of the PDP in the governorship election.”

He added: “I assure you all that the mandate which was freely given to me by majority of the delegates will be reclaimed by the special grace of God.”

Kashamu, the lawmaker representing Ogun East senatorial district at the National Assembly, blamed the PDP’s defeat in the gubernatorial election in Ekiti State on what he termed the arrogance of Governor Ayodele Fayose.

Kashamu, who spoke with newsmen, described the party’s loss as “an evil foretold.”

He said: “I saw it coming. I was not the least surprised at the outcome.

How would the PDP have won when the former interim caretaker chairman of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi allowed Governor Fayose to drive away other stakeholders in the party in Ekiti State and the whole of the South West?

After driving away all the bigwigs and stakeholders in Ekiti State, they could not but work against the party.

“Makarfi and others encouraged him to perpetrate all manner of illegalities, and the Prince Uche Secondus-led NWC inherited him and never really did anything to rein him in. They were sold the lies that he could do it all alone.”

According to the lawmaker, the election was a referendum on Fayose, not the PDP.

“The good people of Ekiti State wanted to do away with anything Fayose and that was what happened.

That is why he lost even in his own local government. It is not that the people do not like PDP. They still like PDP but detest Fayose and his antics.

To what extent has he gone to make life better for the average Ekiti man or woman? Has he provided a conducive environment for them to realise their full potentials?”

Kashamu urged the party’s leadership to move in and rescue the party in the South West so as to shore up its fortune before the 2019 general elections.

He enjoined the PDP to field contented Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in their businesses or careers so that the government of the day will not continue to beam their searchlight on the mediocre that enriched themselves through public office.

“Given his unimpeachable integrity as an individual, President Muhammadu Buhari would continue to ride high on the horse of morality and become more politically advantageous over them,” he stressed.

He congratulated governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and hoped “that he would restore the values of Ekiti State that have been bastardised by Fayose.”