Musiliu Obanikoro sues PDP over Lagos State Governorship primaries

The immediate past Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has dragged his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, to a Federal High court in Abuja over the conduct of the Lagos State governorship primary which produced Mr. Jimi Agbaje as the winner.

Obanikoro said the move had become necessary as the party had failed to act on his petition in which he complained about the anomalies of the primary.

The former minister said this while addressing supporters and journalists at his campaign office in Lagos on Friday.

 

 

He said he could not understand how the number of accredited delegates (806) could exceed the number of votes (863).

He said the 48 hours timeline stipulated by the PDP Electoral Guideline to address the appeal had elapsed without a response from the party.

He said in the light of the development, only the Independent National Electoral Commission and a court could compel the party to conduct a fresh primary.

He said, “we must stand by the truth and the truth is that the election of Monday must be cancelled and repeated.

“We turned in our petition on Tuesday thinking that yesterday (Thursday) the party would reply according to its guidelines but they have not responded as we speak.

“When I noticed that they did not respond, we went to a Federal High court and sued the party.

“I stand for a greater Lagos and anything that will derail that journey will be fought with every drop of our blood.”

He said it was unfortunate that the state leaders of the party, Chief Bode George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe; had used religion to advance the candidature of Agbaje.

He, therefore fingered both George and Ogunlewe as the masterminds of the primary which he described as a sham.

He said both leaders had never won elections at their polling units and wondered how they could help the PDP next year.

He said after his (Obanikoro’s) loyalists cleared the three senatorial districts at the senatorial primaries on Sunday, George became jittery and hatched the plan to rig the governorship primary the following day.

He said Ogunlewe and the chairman of the primary committee, Senator seidu Kumo, shared the same office when they were both at the Senate.

He said, “Chief Olabode George thinks that he could just bark and people like us would sit down but I think by now, he would have got the message and we will stand shoulder to shoulder.
“This is not about age because if you want to be respected, you must respect yourself.
“We told him at the beginning that if he wants to be the unifier and the umpire, you have to be above board but him and Ogunlewe did not do that, they became the director general and deputy director general of Agbaje campaign organisation.

“Bode George turned his office in Lugard to Agbaje’s campaign secretariat.”