The controversy surrounding the
primaries of the Peoples Democratic
Party in Ogun State is unending as the
two factions of the party, which held
separate congresses, claimed to have
picked the nomination forms of the
Independent National Electoral
Commission for those they elected.
In effect, the PDP headquarters may
face a Herculean task in determining
the authentic governorship, as well
as other candidates of the party in the
state in the April elections.
Reports had indicated that the
candidates elected at the congress of
a faction of the party loyal to
Governor Gbenga Daniel were
contacted to pick the INEC
nomination forms on Thursday, with
Alhaji Gboyega Isiaka picking the
form as the Ogun PDP governorship
candidate.
But the governorship candidate
elected at the congress loyal to
former President Olusegun Obasanjo,
Maj.-Gen. Adetunji Olurin (retd.), also
claimed on Friday that he had picked
and filled the INEC nomination form at
the national headquarters of the
party in Abuja.
The protracted crisis in the state PDP
had compelled the feuding parties to
elect different candidates from
parallel congresses for the state and
national elections. They also filed the
names of their representatives to the
national office of the PDP.
While the faction loyal to Daniel is led
by Chief Joju Fadairo, the parallel
exco is led by Chief Dayo Soremi, with
the active support of Obasanjo and
the Minister of Commerce and
Industry, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye.
While the faction loyal to Obasanjo
conducted its primaries at the
Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential
Library, the Daniel faction conducted
its own at the MKO Abiola Stadium,
both in Abeokuta.
Soremi is regarded as the chairman of
the ‘Harmonised state executive,’
with none of the members
representing the Fadairo executive,
after the latter was reportedly
dissolved by the National Working
Committee of the PDP under the
sacked chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze
Nwodo.
In an interview with SATURDAY
PUNCH on the telephone on Friday,
Olurin said he was the first to pick the
form, saying his “opponent rushed
down” to Abuja when he learnt that
he (Olurin) had collected the INEC
form.
The former military governor of Oyo
State said that Senator Iyabo
Obasanjo-Bello and others, who
emerged victorious at the Soremi-led
primaries, had also picked their INEC
forms.
Olurin, who sounded confident about
his chances in the emerging power
play in the state, said the
headquarters of the party would
decide on the “authentic candidate”
of the party on Monday when it is
expected to forward the name of its
candidate to INEC.
He said, “I’ve picked my form. There
is no big deal about that. In fact, I’ve
filled it and it is on its way to Abuja
today (Friday). Yes, I didn ’t come
physically to pick it, but it was picked
by the leader of my group for all of us
that emerged winners at the
primaries. By the grace of God, the
form will get to the party
headquarters either today or by
Saturday.”
Fadairo, however, declared on Friday
that the candidates elected during the
primaries conducted under his watch
were the only candidates issued with
the INEC nomination forms.
He said, “To the best of my
knowledge, only (Gboyega) Isiaka
and (Lola) Abiola-Edewor (Ogun
Central Senatorial candidate)
collected the INEC nomination forms
for the respective posts from the
national headquarters in Abuja
yesterday.
“The national party called me that the
forms were ready. I informed the
respective candidates, including the
other senatorial candidates, the nine
House of Reps candidates and the
state House of Assembly candidates,
and they went to Abuja to collect the
INEC forms. There is no confusion
there. It is very clear. ”
Soremi described the reported
issuance of the INEC nomination
forms to the candidates elected at the
congress organised by the Fadairo-
led executive as “untrue.”
In a statement on Friday, he
contended that an injunction
obtained by the parallel body from a
Federal High Court in Abuja on
Wednesday had made the congress
under the “dissolved Fadairo-led
executive a nullity.”
He said, “We affirm that this can’t be
true as our great party respects the
rule of law and won ’t be part of a
sinister plot to enthrone impunity as a
way of life in conducting the affairs of
the PDP.
“To be sure, a Federal High Court
sitting in Abuja has already stopped
whatever charade the Joju Fadairo-
led dissolved executive committee
did in terms of congresses/primaries.
Both the PDP National Secretariat and
INEC were restrained from relating
with the illegal Fadairo group.
“The order of the Federal High Court
has been served on both INEC and
the PDP National Secretariat. ”
Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal
High Court, Abuja, had, on
Wednesday, restrained INEC and the
PDP from validating the results of the
governorship primaries conducted
by the Daniel camp.
Kafarati gave the order following an
ex-parte application by Olurin, Chief
Babatunde Fadun, Mr. Dave Salako,
Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, Mr. Wale Solaja
and Seun Adesanya.
He further restrained INEC and the
PDP from making any
pronouncement validating the results
of the primaries conducted by the
Fadairo-led executive, pending the
determination of the originating
summons.
The judge directed the electoral
commission and the party to accept
the results of the governorship
primaries by the plaintiffs, according
to their prayers.
Olurin believed that since the
headquarters of the party was in
court when the order was given, it
would have no excuse not to obey it.
He said, “The Daniel group just wants
to create confusion because the
people there (PDP national
headquarters) are aware of the court
order, which forbids them from
presenting any candidate for the
elections.
“The leadership of the party is aware
of the court order, so it either vacates
the order or follows the rule of law by
having nothing to do with the other
group as ordered by the court. I
know that we have a responsible
party leadership who obeys the rule
of law. I won the party governorship
primaries and that is why I am also
confident. ”
Olurin, the former Sole Administrator
of Ekiti State during the state of
emergency in the Obasanjo
Administration, added that (Senator
Iyabo) Obasanjo-Bello and other
candidates in the Fadairo faction had
picked their INEC nomination forms.
“All of them, including Iyabo, have
collected their forms and I can assure
you that we ’re confident that we
would make it,” he added.
He said since the party was yet to
come out openly that it had picked
any candidate, it was wrong to
assume that the candidates in his
group had been dumped.
Soremi reasoned that the PDP had
demonstrated its respect for the rule
of law as the pronouncement of a
State High Court was enough to sack
the immediate past chairman of the
party, Nwodo, which was obeyed.
“This, we believe, is what enabled the
party’s governorship candidate in
Ogun State, Chief Adetunji Olurin, to
collect and fill the required INEC forms
along with others who won in the
party ’s primaries,” he said.

seriously, baba is not sleeping at all. . . baba 'dey laugh' right now. this election is turning to a movie. . . very interesting. lol

from the way i see obj's face, he is not laughing this time. he has lost it. gbenga daniel is the new power in ogun state. obj is a looser. for jonathan, it is going to be a very strong test for him as gbenga will mess pdp up in the state if they try messing up with him.
God is about dissolving the old powers and i foresee the emergency of a new begining.
shame to obj and his old model criminals.
his pic below says more,

A house divided against itself cannot stand, I can see pdp losing in ogun

This is a very good development. PDP is in confused state.