Aspirant sues PDP, Dariye for violating primaries’ guidelines

FEW days after the National Assembly was inaugurated, a senatorial aspirant on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) for the Plateau Central Senatorial District, Nde Alexander Molwus has sued to the Federal High Court in Jos, alleging that PDP smuggled in the name of Senator Joshua Dariye into the list of those that contested the primaries.

Senator Dariye contested the senate seat on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) and won in 2011. But towards the end of his four years tenure, the national body of the PDP gave him a waiver while he was still with LP.

In his argument, Molwus averred that Dariye had never been a card-carrying member of the PDP.

When the case came up for mention, the counsels to the defendants (PDP and Dariye), J. Appollos and S. Pwul, urged the court to grant them time to file a further and better affidavit.

However, the judge, Mr. Justice Ambrose Allagoa, was critical about the adjournment being sought by the counsels, reminding them that the issue at stake is a pre–election matter where time is of the essence, prompting accelerated hearing.

He nevertheless granted their request by adjourning the matter for continuation of hearing.

Throwing more light on the matter after the day’s proceedings, counsel to Molwus, Mr. Tob Kekemeke, said Dariye contested the PDP primaries and won the contest.

“Nde Molwus Alexander also contested in that particular race, came second to Dariye. The contention of Molwus is that according to PDP’s guidelines, anybody whose name is not on the party’s register cannot contest the election. His contention is that as at the time the primary election took place, Dariye’s name was not in the register of the PDP and so he was not qualified to contest the election,” Kekemeke explained.

“And the law says if a party guideline stipulates something in conducting the elections, the party breached its own guidelines. Any aggrieved person can go to the court. That is why we are in court,” he further explained.