The exercise marks the high point of the tussle by PDP power brokers, including outgoing governors, members of the National Assembly with vested interest in who picks the governorship ticket of the party.
The power game has polarised the party in most state chapters, following insinuations that influential PDP members, including those holding high elective offices, were bent on subverting due process in the choice of candidates.
At least 15 state chapters of the PDP are likely to be the epicenter of the supremacy battle, going by the varying controversies that have trailed the processes culminating in today’s primaries.
The states include Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Rivers, Adamawa, Delta, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Sokoto, Kano, Bauchi, Kwara, Imo and Cross River and Nasarawa.
The stakeholders, especially contestants and their promoters, traded words over alleged covert and overt moves by the establishment to foist “unpopular” candidates on the party, warning against the likely dire consequences.
In Lagos, the battle line appears drawn between two leading contestants, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the erstwhile minister of State for Defence and Mr Jimi Agbaje, the candidate of the Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) in the 2007 governorship poll in the state.
There were strong indications on Sunday of a battle royale in Lagos today, in view of the ceaseless claims and counter-claims by the two camps on the eligibility or otherwise of the aspirants ahead the primaries.
Coupled with this is the array of eminent politicians of the PDP stock backing either of the contestants.
Disputations over the conduct of ward congress of the PDP has also polarised the party in Oyo State, as the intervention of the PDP national headquarters seems to have achieved a salutary impact on the intra-party crisis.
Loyalists of a former governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala and a former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, are set for another titanic battle on behalf of their principals at the delegate-based primaries to determine who picks PDP ticket.
Either of the contestants is relying on their roots for bloc votes and a sprinkle from delegates from other parts of the state.
As a result of the epic battle over who clinches the ticket, Nigerian Tribune can authoritatively report that Chief Alao-Akala had left PDP and may likely declare for his next party tomorrow.
Also, another contestant, Mr Seyi Makinde, is heading to court over the development in the party.
In a related development, counsel for one of the aspirants to the House of Assembly in Oyo State chapter of PDP, Mr Ademola Adelowo, has written a letter to the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, reminding him that no governorship primaries could hold in the state because the matter was still in court.
Mr Adelowo, it will be recalled, got a Federal High Court order last week Friday, restraining INEC and other defendants from using any other delegates list other than the ward congress held at the 351 wards in the state on November 24.
Mr Ikechukwu Ezechukwu, in the open letter on behalf of Mr Adelowo and other ad hoc delegates said going ahead with the governorship primaries amounted to contempt of court.
The battle for the PDP ticket in Ogun remained misty on Sunday, because of internal bickering among some of its main gladiators.
Nonetheless, the contest seems to be a straight fight between former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and Gbenga Nasir Isiaka.
Imo is another major battleground, as the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, will be slugging it out with a former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, for the PDP ticket.
Observers say they would have given victory to Ohakim if he still enjoyed the power of incumbency, thus the current contest could be too close to call.
However, pundits have not ruled out the possibility of Senator Ifeanyi Ararume and Senator Chris Anyanwu giving both Ihedioha and Ohakim a run for their money.
Though there are 13 contenders for the PDP ticket in Kwara, pointers are to the fact that the contest could actually be between Mr Dele Belgore and two others, as the former is said to have the support of Abuja.
Belgore was the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) during the 2011 governorship poll in the state.
Barring any last-minute change, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is set to clinch the PDP ticket in Adamawa.
His candidature is said to enjoy the backing of the higher authorities in Abuja, though some key actors in the Adamawa PDP reportedly kicked against what they saw as an attempt to railroad the party members on the endorsement of Ribadu.
The acrimony over the governorship race in Rivers State appears unabated, as forces opposed to the aspiration of former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, are ready for a “showdown” at the primaries.
Leading the pack is a major challenger for the ticket, Dum-Bari Ben-Dimkpa, who is from Ogoniland. However, Wike, who is of the Ikwerre stock, is believed to control the state PDP machinery through his protégés.
Akwa Ibom, which is parading largest number of aspitants – 19 – is widely considered as another veritable ground for the current power tussle among PDP stalwarts.
While the odds appears to favour a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Udom Emmanuel, the other contestants, who equally parade intimidating credentials, had promised to put up a great fight.
Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State is set for the greatest political contest of his life as his presumed choice as candidate, Honourable Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, confronts a granite opposition comprising members of the National Assembly and other home-based politicians.
His endorsement of the House of Representatives member for the ticket remained part of the major bone of contention between him and core loyalists of senators representing the state.
The governor had jettisoned his initial senatorial aspiration, in what looked like a deliberate move by Chime to assuage the opposition within the state PDP.
The situation became tense, as three parallel congresses were held in the state for the National Assembly primaries on Sunday.
A keen contest for the PDP ticket in Delta State is also imminent, in spite of the aura surrounding Sir Anthony Obuh over the prospect of his picking the ticket.
Apart from the introduction of primordial issues and ethnic cleavages, the pre-primaries was dogged by controversies based on gender and zoning/power rotation.
Part of the intrigues preceding the primaries in Kano State was recorded in Abuja last week, as Mohammed, son of a late head of state, General Sani Abacha, was in the capital city for consultations with the authorities.
He is contending with Alhaji Salihu Sagir Takai, a close ally of Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shakarau, who has been tipped by some pundits to get the ticket.
Another contestant for the ticket is Abba Rsqua, the son of a former head of state, the late General Murtala Muhammed.
In Nasarawa, immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma; former Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku; state deputy governor, Honourable Dameshi Barau Luka; the senator representing Nasarawa North, Senator Solomon Ewuga; the immediate poast deputy governor, Mr Mich Abdul Alhaji Yusuf Agabi; Jubril Bala Yakubu as well as Musa Hussaini and Mr Chris Mammam will slug it out over the ticket.
In Bauchi, loyalists of former governor and current national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu will be locked in a supremacy contest with the loyalists of the incumbent governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda.
Source: Tribune
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