Lagos LG polls: Confusion persists over PDP candidates

Confusion in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State continues over the weekend, ahead of the local government election scheduled to hold on July 22.

Leadership tussle between the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, had seen both factions selling forms for aspirants.

As at the time of filing this report, both factions had conducted primaries and will this week forward names of their candidates for the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas to the State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).

The Sheriff faction, chaired by Otunba Segun Adewale, popularly known as Aero Land, conducted its primaries on Friday, which went violent in some local governments. A member of the state executive confirmed that candidates emerged but there were “issues in some local governments.”

The Makarfi faction on its part had also conducted its primary though the list of candidates was yet to be unveiled.

The commission was to publish list of candidates of political parties on Sunday, according to its timetable.

It would be recalled that the Makarfi faction had earlier purportedly planned to contest on the platform of the yet to be registered Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), but it later dropped the platform and decided to still use the PDP, banking on LASIEC to recognize it as the authentic PDP leadership in Lagos.

Spokesman of the faction loyal to Makarfi, Taofik Gani, in a chat with Daily Trust, said that there was circumstantial evidence which showed that there was congress in Lagos.

He said the congress predated the botched national convention of the party, which led to the crisis bedevilling the PDP at the centre till date.

Meanwhile the state chapter of the National Conscience Party (NCP) had on Saturday concluded its primaries without any rancour.

The event, which held at the party’s secretariat, in Ikeja, and monitored by LASIEC, witnessed massive turn-out of delegates from all the LGs, LCDAs and wards, particularly those that presented aspirants in chairmanship, vice Chairmanship and councillorship positions.