LAGOS PDP GUBER PRIMARY: AGBAJE CARPETS OBANIKORO

Jimi Agbaje

The Lagos State governorship candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has challenged fellow aspirant, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to speak the truth about the so-called excess votes reportedly recorded in Monday’s primary election.

A statement by Felix Oboagwina, Director of Media and Publicity for Mr. Jimi
Agbaje and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said in the course of the primaries, the six aspirants agreed that there was a clerical omission in the originally announced tally of 806, as it had left out some ad hoc and statutory delegates from a few local governments, and those should be reckoned and allowed to vote.

Earlier placed at 806 delegates, the total figure for voting delegates finally came to 864 after votes were cast.

“Obanikoro and the other aspirants, together with their agents, were party to this agreement,” Oboagwina said.

“In fact, Obanikoro left his seat, along with the others, when the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Senator Seidu Kumo, called attention to the clerical omission. There and then, they mandated the committee to add these omitted delegates to the total tally. The chairman of the committee felt no need to announce this new figure publicly, since all the contestants willingly endorsed the arrangement.”

It described the Lagos PDP primary election as free, fair and spotless.

According to the statement, the total of 58 omitted delegates was made up of: Ikeja ad hoc delegates -30; Ikeja statutory delegates -7; Ojo statutory delegates -7; Mushin statutory delegates -7 and Alimosho statutory delegates -7

The statement said: “The agents and aspirants were previously informed of the clerical omission. And it is the height of mischief, indecency and dishonesty for anyone to falsely cry wolf to something that everybody mutually agreed to.”
Party to this agreement were agents of the aspirants, as well as the contestants themselves, including: Mrs. Modupe Chukwuneke, Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi,

Mr. Tokunboh Kamson, Mr. Adedeji Doherty, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and Mr. Olujimi Agbaje.

Expressing disappointment with other aspirants who resorted to crying foul upon the declaration of the result, it condemned the voices as a reflection of the problem of Nigerian leadership, peopled by desperadoes playing do-or-die politics.

“Let us even assume (for the sake of argument) that you subtract the allegedly 60 excess votes from the total tally, Agbaje would still win the primaries,” the statement pointed out.

“But for all intents and purposes, the excess votes could even have gone to make up the 342 scored by Obanikoro or the total for the other aspirant.”