THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is enmeshed in crises in different states as a result of disagreements arising from the conduct of the just-concluded National Assembly primaries.

Particularly affected are states like Ogun, Osun Kogi and Adamawa.

In Ogun State, for instance, a melodrama occurred as the party held parallel primaries in which Governor Gbenga Daniel, who is seeking the party’s senatorial ticket for Ogun East, was at once a winner and a loser.

In one of the parallel elections, conducted by a faction of the party loyal to the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Senator Jubril Martins - Kuye (JMK), the governor suffered a defeat in the hands of his rival, Mr Toheeb Adekunle Odunnowo.

At the primary election held at the PDP Secretariat on Degun Street, Ijebu-Ode, Daniel polled 35 votes to lose to Odunnowo, who scored 1004 votes.

Reflecting on his victory, Odunnowo said: "Daniel, having enjoyed absolute power for nearly eight years without being able to turn Ogun State around, the people rejected him because their fortunes will not change with him at the Senate for four years."

But in another primary held at the Gateway International Stadium, Ijebu-Ode by Elder Joju Fadairo’s faction, Daniel emerged victorious, scoring more than 2,000 votes to defeat Odunnowo and Ahmed Shehu Bankole.

However, Senator Lekan Mustapha, the incumbent Senator, representing Ogun East, shunned the primaries, citing the unwillingness of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP to enforce its decision to harmonise the party structure in the state as reason for his action.

In an interaction with journalists in Ijebu-Ode, Mustapha said the failure of the party’s NWC to reconcile the two factions created "uncertainty and confusion," leading to parallel primaries being held by each faction.

He said: "Since the NWC reneged on its decision to harmonise the party structure or take a stand on the party structure that is authentic in the state, one found it difficult to to know which primary to identify with, hence the boycott."

In Ogun Central, Hon. Lola Edewor-Abiola, first daughter of late business mogul and politician, Chief MKO Abiola, emerged winner in the primary conducted by the Fadairo faction.

In the said primary, Lola floored the the quartet of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, Hon. Kayode Amusan, Chief Adebisi Derin and Folarin Rahmon.

But there was a reversal of fortune when Iyabo Obasanjo, a sitting senator, defeated Lola Edewor-Abiola at a parallel primary conducted also Friday by the JMK faction.

In Ogun West, former Commissioner of Agriculture in the Gbenga Daniel administration, Mr Waliu Taiwo, won the ticket for his Senatorial district.

However, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello told newmen that her own group’s primary was the authentic one because it was backed by law.

Facts also emerged Friday that last-minute’s intervention by The Presidency saved the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, from being denied a fresh ticket to the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

But with the exception of the President of the Senate, Chief David Mark, the fate of some principal officers, including the Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Bayero Nafada, was uncertain last night.

Investigation by The Nation showed that were it not for the intervention of The Presidency, there was tremendous pressure on the Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, to deny the Speaker the ticket.

Bankole had on Thursday emerged as the unopposed candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, following the withdrawal of a former Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Mrs. Titi Shodunke-Oseni, Fasiu Bakenne and Dr. Yemi Oke.

The emergence of the Speaker was, however, not without intrigues, which almost overshadowed the pact between The Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly.

On account of the deal, The Presidency conceded automatic tickets to Mark, Bankole and some principal officers.

The concession was said to be as a result of the understanding shown by Mark and Bankole during the struggle for the actualisation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s acting presidency and the roles they played in securing the support of National Assembly members for Jonathan to win the PDP presidential ticket on January 13.

Also, as part of the moves to resolve the two-year-old crisis in Ogun State chapter of the PDP, it was agreed that Bankole would be allowed another term in the House of Representatives.

But the game plan was almost changed on Wednesday by some loyalists of Governor Daniel.

A top source said: "Up till Wednesday, the plot was to deny Bankole the third term ticket in the House of Representatives. Loyalists of the state governor were adamant that Bankole should not have his cake and eat it. The situation was so tense that no one could predict what would happen.

"Daniel’s loyalists insisted that Bankole is a paper weight in his constituency and that the governor should allow him to go for the primary election of the House of Representatives.

"The Presidency, however, intervened. The Vice-President, Namadi Sambo, placed a call to Governor Daniel and told him to stand by the terms of the truce and the understanding between The Presidency and the leadership of the National Assembly.

"The call from The Presidency placed a burden on Daniel, who had to pacify the ex-Ogun Speaker and two others to step aside."

In Osun State, violent protests marred the primary election for PDP aspirants to the House of Representatives in Ede Federal Constituency.

At the Ede Township Stadium, venue of the primary, an apirant came with thugs, who shot sporadically and brandished cutlasses to disrupt the primary on the pretext that he was rigged out.

As the gunshots were fired to scare away delegates, journalists and many people at the venue ran for dear lives.

Also, there was a protest, though not a violent one, in Boripe/Odo-Otin/Ifelodun Federal Constituency, when a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kayode Idowu, was defeated by Mr. Tunde Kajogbola, a former Controller of Advertisement in the African Newspapers of Nigeria (ANN) Plc, publishers of the Nigerian Tribune titles.

Kajogbola scored 256 votes to defeat seven others, including Moshood Oluawo, who scored 211 votes and Kayode Idowu, who polled 160 votes.

For Hon. Oluwole Oke, representing Oriade and Obokun Federal Constituency, and Hon. Bade Falade, repsenting Ejigbo, Egbedore and Ede Federal Constituency, however, it was joy as they were returned.

Former Commisisoner for Finance in the Government of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Elder Adetoyese Ojo, polled 438 votes to defeat three other aspirants, Sola Araoye (203 votes), Kamorudeen Ajisafe (176) and Owoseeni (148) to clinch the ticket for Osogbo/Olorunda/Irepodun/Orolu Federal Constituency.

Also, former Commissioner for education, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, polled 387 votes to clinch the ticket of Irewole/Ayedaade/Isokan Federal Constituency. Adesiyan defeated Banji Adeyemo and Fatoye, who scored 278 and 36 votes respectively.

Also victorious was the former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who emerged the senatorial candidate of the PDP for Osun Central Senatorial District. Same for Senator Omisore who scored 1, 813 votes.

In Adamawa State, a governorship aspirant of the PDP, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa, dumped the party, citing the cancellation of the primary election in the state as the reason.

He alleged that the primary was stopped purposely to prevent him from emerging as the governorship candidate.

Marwa, who said he was not daunted by the development, vowed to actualise his ambition nonetheless. It was not clear at press time which party he would join, but he said the process of ‘’sweeping’’ off the administration of Admiral Murtala Nyako had begun.

Alluding to his ‘Operation Sweep’ programme when he was the military administrator of Lagos State, Marwa said he would repeat the feat he achieved in the ‘’State of Excellence’’.

Theprimary election into Kogi West Senatorial District was yesterday stalemated following boycott controversy over delegates’ list.

Before the stalemate, there were five candidates for the primary.

The candidates are: The incumbent Senator Smart Adeyemi; Mr. T.J. Faniyi; a former Vice-Chairman of a local council, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Salahudeen; and a former Special Assistant to the President, Mr. Tunde Olusunle and Dr. Abison

It was learnt that one of the aspirants, Mr. T. J. Faniyi boycotted the primary election.

But loyalists of Faniyi said all the aspirants could not agree on the delegates’ list.

According to findings, all the candidates had converged on Prestige Hotel, Kabba, for the primary election.

It was gathered that the opening prayer and preliminary process were hardly put in place when all the candidates disagreed over the list of delegates.

A source said: "As we were about going into the primary election, we discovered that two lists of delegates emerged. There was a list from the National Secretariat of the PDP and another list of delegates from the state.

"The candidates were divided along National-State list and we could not have a meeting point. At a stage, one of the candidates, Mr. T. J. Faniyi, opted for a boycott as he insisted on the states’ list.

"Some of the candidates, like Senator Smart Adeyemi, wanted the authentic list from the National Secretariat of the PDP to be used."

But another source said: "The five candidates were sharply divided over the list of delegates. And expectedly, they could not reach any compromise. When the situation became tense and thugs almost overran everybody, Senator Smart Adeyemi stormed out.

"I think from the onset, there was a conspiracy to stop Adeyemi by some powers-that-be in the state. So, the boycott was really plotted by some PDP stalwarts in the state.

"In fact, Adeyemi’s supporters became infuriated by the plot to smuggle in a ‘concocted’ state list for the primary and they started shouting: ‘We will leave PDP for AC if you want to shortchange our popular candidate; what has this young man done?’

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