PDP condemns INEC’s choice of Jimoh Ibrahim as flagbearer

[ooyala code=”lmdnUzNzE65HNxtJq1IvSxEaByUum8u-” player_id=”1b17bdeb76cb4ac7b9d901fad6010bb6″ width=”1280″ height=”720″ auto=”true”] The national caretaker committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday issued a statement condemning the emergence of Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim as the candidate of the party for the Ondo State governorship election in November.

The party claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was under pressure to do everything to frustrate PDP’s chances of winning the election.

The statement signed by the spokesperson of the caretaker committee, Dayo Adeyeye, wondered why INEC chose to obey the court ruling that favoured Ibrahim and ignored the other one that favoured its true candidate, Eyitayo Jegede.

The statement reads in part: “We reject in its totality the announcement of the INEC of the list of candidates for the Ondo State gubernatorial election on which the names of Jimoh Ibrahim and Alabi Ebenezer Omotayo as candidate and running mate of our party were published respectively.

“It is shocking that in announcing its list, INEC completely disregarded the Order of Justice Olamide of the Ondo State High Court restraining INEC from substituting the name of our candidate, Jegede, choosing instead to pay heed to the order given by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court.”

PDP noted that the action of INEC had resulted in massive protests in many parts of Ondo State, noting that Ondo people have taken to the streets to show displeasure at the schemes to deny them of the candidate of their choice for the gubernatorial election.

“It is most unfortunate that INEC and external forces are seeking to make Ibrahim, who is not a member of our party and who did not participate in our primaries which INEC itself has admitted, the candidate of our party through the backdoor.

“It is worrisome that INEC and Justice Abang have insisted on toeing a path of illegality by ignoring our validly convened primaries and the candidate produced thereat in favour of a candidate who emerged from an illegal primary election exercise,” the statement added.

The PDP further alleged: “We are aware that INEC is acting under tremendous pressure from powerful external forces to cause confusion within our party as a means of reducing our chances to win the Ondo State gubernatorial elections.