Lagos PDP Aspirants, Delegates Reject Senatorial Primary Election

LAGOS - Delegates for Peoples Democratic Party senatorial primaries that were supposed to hold in Lagos State yesterday have alleged that the primary election did not hold in the designated venues for the primary.

They alleged that some desperate members of the party took advantage of the lacuna to organise kangaroo primaries and announced their preferred candidates as winner of the election.

Some delegates who arrived at the venue of the primaries as early as 8 am had to leave after waiting for hours without any directive from the committee that will organise the primaries.

At the venue of primaries for Lagos Central Senatorial district fixed for National Power Training Institute of Nigeria NAPTIN on Adelabu Street, Surulere, the delegates were left stranded, and those who could not withstand the waiting game left the venue.

When one of the aspirants was called to find out what was going on, he said the election committee assured him they would be at the venue and urged the delegates to wait.

After waiting for about nine hours, those on ground got information that the venue for Lagos Central Senatorial primary has been shifted to another venue on Fuja Street off Akerele Surulere, those on ground rushed to the new venue but when they got there they were told the primary election have held and Adewale Gomez won the primaries.

When the irate delegates inquired about the whereabouts of committee members they were told they had left the venue and the information created room for suspicion.

One of the aspirants for the senate seat in Lagos Central Olubanke Oniru said she did not accept the kangaroo primary conducted.

On whether she is in contact with members of the election committee, she said,” I am not in contact with members of the committee, they gave us a venue for the primaries, we were there only to be told they would no longer use that venue and when we got here, we were told the primaries had held. No election and they said somebody had won the primaries.

“This is a culture of impunity, ineptitude. The question is, for those that conducted the election where did they come from? This is why the youth of this country would continue to suffer.”

Another aspirant, Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, urged members of the party and the delegates to ignore the purported primary, describing it as a kangaroo, he said he is in touch with members of the election committee and they assured him that when they are ready, they will inform him of the venue where the primaries will hold for Lagos Central Senatorial zone.