Confusion reigned on Thursday over whether the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, was on the list of candidates submitted by the Peoples Democratic Party to the the Independent National Electoral Commission for the April 2011 elections.



Bankole’s nomination for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency was in the list submitted to the national headquarters of the PDP by a faction in the Ogun State chapter controlled by Governor Gbenga Daniel on Monday.



But a court order forced INEC to accept another list presented by the faction led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Chief Jubril Martins-Kuye.



This implied that Bankole was no longer a candidate for the election. However, THE PUNCH learnt on Thursday that Bankole’s name made the PDP ‘chairman’s list.’



A source at the PDP national secretariat told one of our correpondents that the party’s Acting National Chairman, Dr. Haliru Mohammed, compiled an ‘authentic’ list of candidates, which was forwarded to INEC.



Another senior official of the party stated that the list went through a series of screenings before it was presented.



He said “A three-member committee was set up for each of the senatorial districts in the country. Each of the committees sat and took a decision after taking into account a lot of issues.



“These committees submitted a report to the party leadership. The party leadership in turn deliberated on it after which it sat down with President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo) and other leaders of the party before taking a final decision.



“I must admit that there was a lot of pressure on the party leadership. There were also challenges from some of the state chapters but in the end, we have a way of resolving our differences. But as we speak, the list with the speaker’s name was given to INEC.”



A top official of INEC, who did not want to be named, said he was sure that Bankole’s name was on the candidates’ roll.



THE PUNCH learnt that the Obasanjo faction submitted the name of a former Commissioner for Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Segun Alawode, as the candidate for Bankole’s constituency.



The Chairman of the PDP in the harmonised group, Chief Dayo Soremi, confirmed this in an interview with our correspondent in Abeokuta on Thursday. Soremi also stated that the party could substitute the list of candidates, as February 15 had been given as the final deadline by INEC.



“The issue of substitution of candidates cannot be ruled out as INEC has given February 15 as the deadline for the final submission of candidates’ lists. Some of the candidates can still be disqualified over one reason or the other, so we can still substitute.”



INEC on Thursday said it was yet to receive official communication from the PDP on the controversy around the Ogun PDP’s list.



Based on the court order earlier served on the commission, it said on Tuesday that it accepted the list submitted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s faction.



This was at variance with the PDP National Secretariat’s submission of the list produced by Governor Gbenga Daniel’s faction.



However, when asked to comment on the development, INEC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umenger, said it was still awaiting official communication from the party.



Umenger said, “No official communication has been made to us from PDP and I would not want to react to a story that looks speculative.” Asked whose responsibility it was to submit lists of candidates to the commission, Umenger replied, “The Electoral Act is very unambiguous on that.”



Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu also avoided being drawn into the controversy. He said, “I’m aware that collation is ongoing and not yet concluded. The best thing to do is to wait till it is concluded and the official list made public.”



Based on the outcome of the primaries conducted by the Obasanjo faction, Brig.-Gen. Adetunji Olurin (retd.) and Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello emerged as governorship and Ogun Central senatorial candidates respectively. Daniel’s faction sent the names of Gboyega Isiaka and Lola Abiola-Edewor as the governorship and Ogun Central senatorial candidates respectively.



THE PUNCH learnt that Obasanjo and Olurin would meet on Saturday (tomorrow) at the former president’s residence in Abeokuta to plan a fresh strategy on the controversy. It was learnt that all those who emerged as winners in the parallel congress conducted by the faction were invited to the meeting.



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