Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun has reaffirmed that Hon. Ladi Adebutu, remains its candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state.
The state PDP Chairman, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele, stated this at a news briefing in Abeokuta on Thursday.
Ogundele noted that the primary election that produced Adebutu and other candidates were conducted in line with the electoral law and party guidelines.
“The gubernatorial primary, held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), as approved by the national office on May 25, produced only one candidate for our party and that person is Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu who emerged with 714 votes.
“By this, it goes to say and confirm that PDP in Ogun never conducted anything close to parallel congress anywhere.
“Anybody or group of persons hiding anywhere, claiming to have emerged as PDP candidate at any level of the party primary is merely living in fool’s paradise,” he said.
The PDP chairman, therefore, urged members of the party and the public to discountenance contrary reports.
He advised the aspirants, who were not satisfied with the conduct and outcome of the primary elections, to seek legal redress.
“We must say that we recognise and appreciate individual’s right and liberty to proceed to court to seek legal redress against the party,” he said.
Ogundele, however, advised them to first explore the internal mechanism put in place by the party before heading for court.
He added that with the conclusion of its national convention, the party would soon present a list containing detailed particulars and information of its candidates for all elective positions.
The list, according to him, will also be made available to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant bodies for further actions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Jimi Lawal, a governorship aspirant on the PDP platform in the state, had called on the national leadership of the party to cancel the governorship primary in the state and organise another one to chose its flag bearer.
Lawal claimed that the authentic list of the party’s delegates was manipulated to contain names of people who were not elected at the ward congresses.
NAN also reports that Mr Segun Sowunmi, another governorship aspirant, had emerged as candidate at a parallel congress held at Iwe-Irohin on May 25.
Sowunmi had also gone to court to seek dissolution of the party’s state Executive Committee, claiming bias on its part. (NAN)
