Sheriff declares Edo guber primaries illegal set June 26 as new date

CLAIMANT to the office of the national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has declared Monday’s governorship primaries in Edo State illegal.

He is, therefore, set to conduct a fresh exercise.

In a letter addressed to the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), signed by himself and his group’s national secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, he urged the electoral body not to give legitimacy to the exercise as, according to him, it was a product of an illegal caretaker committee.

In a separate statement, the Sheriff group released a scheduled congress in Edo State to start from tomorrow to June 29, with the inauguration of congress committee scheduled for tomorrow.

In yet another statement, Sheriff warned state chairmen and officers of the party to desist from meeting or having anything with the illegal caretaker committee and warned that anybody dealing with them is on his own.

He also announced the appointment of some deputy national Officers as members of the National Working Committee in acting capacity.

According to him, “this is in pursuance to a resignation of five members of NWC and in accordance with the provisions of sections 39(2), 42(2), 43(2), 44(2) and 47(6) of the constitution of the party 2012, as amended.”

The newly appointed officers are Mr Okey Nnadozie, acting national organising secretary; Mr Alonge-Niyi Dennis, acting national youth leader; Mrs Hannatu Ullam, acting national women leader and Bashir Maidugu, acting national legal adviser.

Edo 2016: Trouble In APC As Ogiemwonyi, Imansuangbon, Reject Obaseki

TWO of the APC governorship aspirants, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi and Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon yesterday rejected the results of last Saturday’s primary and the candidate that emerged, Godwin Obaseki.

At a joint press briefing yesterday at the Ogiemwonyi campaign headquarters in Benin, the aspirants alleged that the ballot papers used for the voting were electronically manipulated to favour Obaseki.

The aspirants who appealed to the appeal panel to order a repeat and resorting of the ballots also accused Governor Adams Oshiomhole of physically intimidating delegates to vote for Obaseki.

Ogiemwonyi, who spoke for the duo, said a criminal investigation has become necessary because the party members hold the view that no one individual or group should be allowed to destroy the good image of APC and its leadership that was committed to free and fair primaries and internal democracy and democratization in Nigeria.

Ogiemwonyi said that the announcement of the final result immediately provoked a general condemnation and rejection of the results by delegates that voted during the primaries.