Obanikoro sues PDP, blasts George, Ogunlewe again

Musiliu Obanikoro

The immediate past Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has sued the Peoples Democratic Party before 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 became necessary because the party failed to act on his petition in which he complained about the irregularities that trailed the primary.

The former minister told his supporters and journalists at his campaign office in Lagos on Friday that he could not understand how the number of votes (863) could exceed the number of accredited delegates (806).

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

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

He said, “We must stand by the truth and the truth is that last Monday’s primary must be cancelled and re-conducted.

“We turned in our petition on Tuesday, thinking that on Thursday, the party would reply according to its guidelines but it has not responded as we speak.

“When I noticed that the party 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 my blood.”

According to him, it is unfortunate that the PDP leaders in Lagos State, Chief Bode George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, used religion to advance the candidature of Mr. Jimi Agbaje, who won the primary.

He, however, described both George and Ogunlewe as the masterminds of the “fraudulent” primary.

Obanikoro said both leaders had never won elections at their polling units and wondered how they could help the PDP win next year’s general elections.

He said after his (Obanikoro’s) loyalists cleared the three senatorial districts at the senatorial primary 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 be an umpire, he has to be above board but he and Ogunlewe did not do that, they became the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of Agbaje Campaign Organisation.”

VP slot: APC considers Buhari’s list of three

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)

The All Progressives Congress is considering the list of three nominees by its presidential candidate for the 2015 elections, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) The party is to select one of the three names as the running mate of the general. A high ranking member of the party, who confided in Saturday PUNCH in Abuja on Friday, said the presidential candidate has been under pressure by power blocks within the party long before he emerged. The party member pleaded for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media on the matter. He said the candidate and the party were both aware of the enormity of the task ahead and were determined not to leave anything to chance. The source said the candidate had already given notice to the party that he would submit three names of party loyalists he would like to work with. The source said, “In choosing the three names, he will consider three things: Religious balancing, votes or what we call electoral value and he will also consider the personality of the individual. “The governors elected on APC platform are insisting that it must come from among them, but Buhari had told them that he agrees but that the names he would submit to the party would contain at least the name of one of them but that the party would ultimately decide. “Those in the South-East want one of their own. Their argument is that doing so will strengthen the party in the region.” The source noted that the allure of block votes from the South-West is tilting the scales in favour of the geo-political zone which has been a strong base of opposition politics. This throws up the possibility of a candidate coming from the Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s political camp. A member of the Buhari camp said the General would have loved to work with Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, but “a muslim/ muslim ticket will be a hard sell considering the situation in the country today.” However, Prof. Yemi Osibajo appears the most likely choice because of his untainted public record and intellectual depth. Apart from being a member of Tinubu’s inner circle, Osibajo is a Pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God and a close associate of the church’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. Many Christians are likely to support this choice. Hailing from Ikene, the hometown of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo , is also seen as an added advantage. The three geo-political zones in the South namely: South-South, South-East and South-West were also said to be showing interest in the vice-presidential slot. But that the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the party would meet and take a decision on the matter. He dismissed comments on the social media that the party had picked a running mate. “We haven’t even met,” Mohammed said. The party also denied a report that it had picked the Rivers States Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, as Buhari’s running mate. Mohammed told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Friday that picking a vice-presidential candidate would require wide consultation, but said the party would announce the person next week. “What you are reading now is the handiwork of mischief makers. No one had been picked as Buhari’s running mate but we will pick and announce next week,” he said.