The Peoples Democratic Party’s National Working Committee has distanced itself from a new primary election allegedly held by Jimi Lawal, one of the party’s candidates for Governor of Ogun State.
Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP National Chairman, included this in a disclaimer that was given to the Independent National Electoral Commission on October 19 and acknowledged by that body on October 20, 2022.
The PDP chapter in Ogun State suspended Lawal and four other members on Monday for holding a “illegal primary.” At a news conference in the state capital of Abeokuta, Sunday Solarin, secretary of the PDP in Ogun, announced the suspension.
On September 27, an Abeokuta Federal High Court annulled all previous PDP primary polls and ordered the party to hold new primaries within 14 days. The PDP NWC has, however, appealed the ruling.
Thus, the NWC was astounded that Lawal and his supporters would write INEC and hold the primary without consulting the party’s national organization.
Ayu wrote, “We write to draw the attention of the Commission to a purported primary election conducted by some persons claiming to be State Executive Members of our party, allegedly held on Monday, October 17, 2022, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
“This is coming days after the 14 days ordered by the Federal High Court for the party to conduct a fresh primary election.
“The 14 days ordered by the Federal High Court, Abeokuta division, within which the party was to conduct a fresh primary election lapsed on Tuesday, October 10, 2022, and no fresh primary was conducted in Ogun State, the party having resolved to go on appeal and rightly so.
“This, being our position, we were surprised to read both on print media and online media that some persons claiming to be part of a faction of the party conducted a fresh primary on behalf of the party on Monday, October 17, 2022, seven days after the 14 days ordered by the Federal High Court, Abeokuta division, which the party appealed against has lapsed.
Citing the party’s guidelines, Ayu said, “Section 50 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (as amended in 2017) empowers the National Working Committee acting on behalf of the National Executive Committee to formulate guidelines and regulations for the nomination of candidates for election into public offices at all levels and shall be the final authority for resolving all disputes relating to the choice of candidates for the party for any election and for conveying to INEC or any other authority to whom it may concern, confirming the names or list of names of candidates of the party in any elective office in the federation. This section enjoys a plethora of judicial backings.”
Ayu stated that the Act mandated that the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party, and not state leaders, sign all correspondence between the Commission and political parties.
“We are, by this letter, notifying the commission of this illegality and to further inform the Commission that the NWC is dissociating itself from the said fresh primary election conducted by persons other than the NWC. We do not recognise these persons involved in this illegality.
“In view of the foregoing, the Commission is advised to refrain from accepting any letters or correspondences written on behalf of the party by any State Executive of Ogun State and should be circumspect in its dealings with these persons in the future,” the statement, co-signed by the National Secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu, concluded.
