By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Former Deputy Governor of Kogi state, Arch. Yomi Awoniyi, aspirants and stakeholders from Kogi West Senatorial District of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) had threatened to boycott Sunday Governorship election over alleged falsification of ad-hoc delegates’ lists.
Arch. Yomi Awoniyi, flanked by other aspirants, Bolufemi, Rotimi and Tajudeen Yusuf and some party stakeholders issued the threat at a press conference on Saturday night in Lokoja.
He said that any attempt to use unapproved delegates’ list would be rejected as he alleged that there were attempts by some persons within the party to use a list that was at variance and inconsistent with the approved list.
He alleged that the official list from the March 29, 2023 delegates Congress, certified by INEC had been manipulated by a certain group to favour a particular aspirant.
The former Deputy Governor said that one hundred and fifty Eight (158) delegates’ names were replaced with people who were neither members of the party nor participated in the Congress.
“Despite complaints from stakeholders and aspirants from Western and the Eastern Senatorial Districts of the state regarding the mysterious tinkering with the original list as declared by Abdul Ningi led delegates election panel, the issue was not addressed till today”, Awoniyi added.
He alleged that when the final list was released,158 delegates from the seven Local Governments Areas that make up the Senatorial District were replaced with some names only known to those who want to favour a particular aspirant.
Awoniyi said that the PDP was a party bound by laws and as a bonafide member of the party in the last 25 years, any attempt to make nonsense of the party’s primary will be rebuffed.
He further stressed that nothing short of the authentic delegates’ list that emerged from the party’s processes on 29th of March and 8th of April, would be accepted for use.
“All what we are warning is for the party to come up today with the original list which is in their domain. Anything short of this, the party would be consumed by the crisis that will erupt”, he declared.
Also speaking, another aspirant, Bolufemi Rotimi, insisted that the approved list must be unequivocally used, adding that failure to do so would lead to mtotal cancellation of the election with expected crises.
Similarly, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf, member representing Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency at the National Assembly said the doctored list was meant to accommodate non-members in a desperate bid to impose an aspirant on the party.
The House of Representatives member said if his name could be removed from the delegates’ list and only returned after serious petition, then it was better for it not to be there, adding that the law would be used to tackle the problem if nothing is done. (Ends)