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.”