The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday held a parallel governorship primary that produced the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, as the candidate for the September 21 election.
While some delegates were being accredited at the Edo Hotel Marquee before proceeding to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium for the primary poll, another group of delegates convened in a facility on Commercial Avenue and declared Shaibu as the PDP’s candidate.
They stated they went to the location for accreditation but were chased away by security personnel.
They further claimed that the list of delegates provided by the party’s national leadership was not real, citing the presence of names from Bayelsa State and members of the All Progressives Congress.
Bartholomew Moses declared Shaibu the winner of the poll, stating, “During the counting of this primary election, Philip Shaibu has a score of 301 votes, and therefore, we hereby declare Philip Shaibu as the authentic elected candidate for this election in the PDP.”
The people had just concluded their exercise when gunmen stormed the venue.
They were dressed in vigilante attire and arrived in a variety of cars, including two black unmarked Toyota Hiace trucks, an unmarked white Sienna, and a white Hilux, among others.
They shot indiscriminately into the air as people fled in various directions for safety.
Before the election, delegates led by Festus Owu protested at the deputy governor’s official lodge, complaining to him that they had been disenfranchised.
Shaibu addressed the protesting delegates, saying, “I ask to all of you to be peaceful. I do not want anyone to be injured or molested, and I am pleased with the way you have conducted yourselves peacefully and have come to inform me that you were not allowed to be accredited, but I want to assure you that no one man can determine the destiny of a people, and by the grace of God, they cannot disenfranchise you.
“The law is clear that you people are the authentic delegates. Now that they have pushed you away, they want to go and replace you but I assure you that your votes must count, they cannot change and replace your names. I assure you that I will take your protest to the committee that is coming but you must remain peaceful in everything you are doing.”
Speaking to journalists later, Shaibu said, “I saw the crowd outside and I asked who they are and they said they are delegates, I said they should be directed to the venue of the accreditation but they said they were protesting because they have been sent away from the venue of the accreditation and they won their election and they have their results.
“The election will hold and if a winner emerges with fake delegates, the election will not see the light of the day but if a winner emerges with the authentic delegates, there will be no problem, I am sure.”