The political parties this week began their primaries for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 General Elections, but there is tension in the two main parties in the state of Ogun, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party ( PDP), by the processes .
Political parties must submit their candidate lists to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before June 3 to be eligible to participate in the various elections.
As a result, they only have this week left to hold their shadow elections to choose candidates for each position.
PPD
In Ogun, three gubernatorial hopefuls bought the opposition PDP’s nomination forms. They are Ladi Adebutu, Segun Sowunmi and Jimi Lawal.
Mr. Adebutu is a former member of the House of Representatives from the Federal Constituency of Remo, Sagamu and Ikenne, Mr. Sowunmi was the spokesperson for PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar during the 2019 elections, while Mr. Lawal recently resigned as Special Adviser on Economic and Social Affairs. He promoted Investments to Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai before leaving the APC to join the PDP gubernatorial race.
Applicant addresses court
But the race has not been easy in the state party, as one of the gubernatorial hopefuls wants the party to delay the primary.
Sowunmi recently approached the Court of Appeal after the state high court in Abeokuta annulled her lawsuit seeking the dissolution of the PDP’s state working committee ahead of the party’s gubernatorial primary scheduled for Thursday, May 26.
Mr. Sowunmi claimed that party officials have been “bagged” by Mr. Adebutu and therefore cannot be expected to organize free and fair primaries.
Speaking to reporters in Abeokuta, Mr. Sowunmi said the high court judge erred in law when he held that his lawsuit was a pre-election matter and dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction at the interlocutory stage, a decision he argued is contrary. to the provisions of section 285 (8) of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999.
However, the challenger expressed hope that the party would order the Ogun chapter to wait for the decision of the Court of Appeal before holding the primaries.
However, the National Labor Committee of the PDP has not yet interfered in the matter at the time of this report.
The party’s leadership in the state is currently controlled by one faction loyal to Adebutu, while the other faction is made up of old loyalists to the controversial senator Buruji Kashamu.
After Mr. Buruji’s death, both groups agreed to work together, which led to the addition of some members of the Buruji camp to the executive committees.
As of Tuesday, the party appeared poised to hold the gubernatorial primary as scheduled, despite Sowunmi’s appeal.
APC
Five hopefuls purchased APC’s gubernatorial nomination forms to challenge Governor Dapo in the party’s primary election.
The challengers are a former female broadcaster ace, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf; Amosun’s 2019 anointed candidate, Adekunle Akinlade; as well as Owodunni Opayemi and Biyi Otegbeye.
The ruling party in Ogun has been divided since 2018 when it had messy primaries, sparked by the anointing of one of the gubernatorial hopefuls by then-governor Ibikunle Amosun.
Finally, the NWC led by Adams Oshiomhole handed over the flag to the current governor, Dapo Abiodun, who was nominated in a parallel congress.
Akinlade and other Amosun supporters who were denied nomination in the APC eventually moved to the APM to run in the 2019 election but lost.
Messrs. Amosun and Abiodun have since maintained their different lanes at the party in Ogun State.
Recently, a group accused the governor of perjury and declared that he is not qualified to run for a second term.
The group, calling itself the Coalition of Ogun State Students and Youth (COSSY), alleged that Mr. Abiodun had been arrested and jailed in the United States of America for fraud-related cases.
At a press conference in Abeokuta, the group called on the party to disqualify the governor from the primary for allegedly concealing his alleged criminal record.
It alleged that Mr. Abiodun committed various crimes, including credit card fraud, forgery, and petty theft, in the US between 1986 and 1987.
Additionally, a party member in the state, Ayodele Oludiran, had alleged in an April 12 petition that the governor was “concealing criminal offenses he allegedly committed in the US in the 1980s.”
The governor’s supporters said Amosun was behind the accusations, which the governor denied.
A statement from the Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organization (DACO) accused Amosun of sponsoring a smear campaign to smear the governor.
But in a quick response, Amosun, through his media assistant, Bola Adeyemi, challenged the governor to go to court if he has proof that he was behind the accusations, emphasizing, however, that he was not involved in the investigation. petition.
The APC gubernatorial primary is scheduled for Thursday, May 26.
Our correspondent reliably deduced that Governor Abiodun has been making frantic efforts to save himself from disqualification, especially when the party threatened to disqualify applicants with criminal records and those who have problems with their certificates.
Tension in the governor’s camp increased with the news that the APC selection committee had disqualified Bassey Otu, Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade’s anointed candidate, from entering the 2023 gubernatorial race.
Mr. Otu was reportedly disqualified for failing to submit his high school transcript.
The APC NWC has yet to rule on the fate of the Ogun Governor, regarding the accusations against him.
Adding to the anxiety is politics related to the presidential race in the party. Abiodun, who is believed to have secured the APC gubernatorial bid in 2019 with the help of the party’s national leader, Bola Tinubu, has declared his support for the presidential bid of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is from Ogun, on that. of Mr. Tinubu.
Four applicants seek direct primaries
The four governor’s challenges have jointly sent a petition to the party’s national secretariat, calling for direct primaries.
The applicants alleged that their supporters were not given forms to contend for their nomination as delegates, despite the presentation of paid scrutineers for the contest.
The petition was also signed by 34 hopefuls for the House of Representatives and seats in the State Assembly.
Party sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the APC had yet to carry out some activities and preparations that usually precede primary elections in the state, fueling fears that the exercise might not go ahead as scheduled.
There is also speculation that the state government is working on a consensus list for the 40 elective seats in the state to ensure they all go to Abiodun’s supporters.
The outcome of the primaries in the two parties will shape the general election in which the APC and PDP are expected to continue their rivalry in the state.
The PDP has governed the state for only eight years through the two terms of Gbenga Daniel, who has now gone over to the APC. The APC, or the parties that have now merged with it, have been in control for the rest of the 23 years of the Fourth Republic with Amosun serving two terms between 2011 and 2019.
According to Osoba, he was the first governor, he was elected in 1999 but lost his re-election to Mr. Daniel in 2003.
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