Despite Being in Captivity, NEF Convener’s Son Wins PDP House Ticket
inWarri, in Benin City,
Despite being in captivity, Sadiq Abdullahi, son of the Convener, Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, has emerged winner of the Peoples Democratic Parry (PDP) primary election for Sabon Gari (Zaria) Federal constituency, Kaduna State.
The younger Abdullahi, who was among those abducted in the March 28 attack on the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train, is still in captivity contrary to recent reports that he was released by the terrorists.
His father confirmed in a telephone chat with THISDAY yesterday that Sadiq won the primary while still in captivity.
He, however, won the primaries with 28 votes to defeat three other opponents.
Also Yakubu Barade, who has been in the House of Representatives since 2003, secured the ticket for Chikun/ Kajuru federal constituency for the sixth term. Barde got 45 from 65 delegates to defeat two other contestants.
Also, in the Kaura federal constituency, the Minority Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Gideon Gwani secured the ticket for a fifth term.
Gwani was said to have scored 18 votes to defeat his close opponent, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. John Kish, who was said to have scored seven votes.
Kish has, however, protested against the outcome of the election, alleging that delegates were intimidated by the Zonal Chairman of the PDP in Kaduna south senatorial zone.
Two Serving Senators Lose PDP Tickets in Ondo as Akinyelure Blames Mimiko for Defeat
Two serving senators from Ondo State, were yesterday defeated in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election held in the state.
A legal practitioner, Ife Adedipe (SAN) won the primary election for Ondo Central Senatorial District after polling 82 votes to beat the incumbent Senator, Ayo Akinyelure, popularly known as “Allover” who had fifty eight (58) votes, followed by the former Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Clement Faboyede with fifty seven (57) votes.
In the Southern senatorial district, the former Deputy Governor in the state, Hon. Agboola Ajayi polled 78 votes to defeat the incumbent senator, Nicholas Tofowomo, who scored 74 votes.
The Chairman, Election Committee, Idhiarhi Bekekhimi, declared Ife Adedipe (SAN) the winner of the Central seat during the party’s primary held at Ondo road in Akure, the state capital.
However, speaking with Journalists after the exercise, Akinyelure, who is a two term Senator representing Ondo Central in the red chamber, blamed the immediate past Governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, for his defeat, alleging that he directed most delegates to vote for his main opponent.
“As a ranking Senator and with all I have done for them in Ondo Central Senatorial District, the three ad-hoc delegates that favours Olusegun Mimiko, they gave instructions for them to vote me out. I am happy for this but I know my God will never fail.
“I know what I am talking about. We have six local governments in the central, by the grace of God I am still a sitting Senator.
“The election was so transparent but I know that with the volume of what I have done for Ondo Central Senatorial District, I did not expect to be paid this way. But I have a destiny that nobody can stop," Akinyelure lamented.
The winner, Adedipe, who is from Akure South Local Government expressed delight over his victory, and vowed to lead the PDP to victory in the general election.
In the Northern Senatorial District, Mr Tokumbo Modupe, scored 124 votes to defeat his closet rival, Mr Foluso Adefemi, who scored 93.
Aduda, Nwoko, Dankwambo, Onolememen, Amori, Others Win Senatorial Nominations
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, elected more persons to fill the slot for the 109 seats in the nation’s senate.
Philip Aduda representing the Federal Capital Territory won his nomination election. He got 199 votes out of 200 votes cast
Ned Nwoko, the billionaire husband of former teenage film star, Regina Daniels, won the PDP Delta North Senate ticket even as an associate of former Governor James Ibori, Senator Ighoyorta Amori, escaped with a narrow victory in Delta Central.
Chief Michael Diden, popularly known as Ejele, a close political enforcer for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, also emerged candidate for Delta South.
The emergence of Nwoko, it was gathered came after the two major political tendencies in the area put aside their differences to back him as a popular personality in the area.
Nwoko’s ride to obtaining the Senate ticket became easy after Okowa surprised many when he pulled out of the contest to return to the Senate, where he served for one term between 2011 and 2015, before winning the governorship of Delta State.
Diden, a close associate of Okowa, won the Delta South ticket after he polled 176 votes to the 49 votes scored by former member of the House of Representatives, Daniel Reyenieju and Othihiwa Ayodele, who polled 46 and Kent Omatseye, who polled 2 votes.
In Delta North Ned Nwoko polled 240 votes to defeat Paul Osaji who scored 66 votes.
However, the closest in the PDP Senate primary contest was in Delta Central, where Amori escaped narrowly by defeating a former commissioner, with 143 to 123 votes.
Also, Ndudi Elumelu defeated Patricia Ajudia in the contest for Delta north federal constituency. The election was held Sunday in Asaba.
In Gombe State, Hassan Ibrahim Dankwambo, former governor of the state, was nominated to represent the Gombe North Senatorial district.
Former Minister of Works, Dr Mike Onolememen, has been declared the winner of the Edo State Central Senatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In the primary election conducted yesterday, he scored 123 votes to defeat his nearest rival and former member of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Friday Itulah. The zone is currently being represented Clifford Ordia.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 30 senators may not make it back to the parliament in 2023,when the 10th National Assembly would be inaugurated.
It was gathered that some pursued other aspirations, paving the way for some other aspirants to take over their seats in the Red Chamber, but the re-election bids of some lawmakers were threatened by the senatorial ambition of their governors.
The lawmakers who are running for governorship are Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia), Aishatu Dahiru Binani Ahmed (Adamawa), Albert Bassey Akpan (Akwa Ibom), Gershom Bassey (Cross River), Sandy Onor (Cross River), Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta), James Manager (Delta), and Obinna Ogba (Ebonyi).
Others are Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu), Mohammed Sabo Nakudu (Jigawa), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina), Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi), Teslim Folarin (Oyo), Dimka Hezekiah Ayuba (Plateau), George Sekibo (Rivers), Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto), Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba), and Yusuf A. Yusuf (Taraba).
While horse-trading is gathering steam between some senators and their governors over who would get senatorial tickets, other lawmakers are ready to slug it out with their governors in the primaries.
Security Arrests Four Journalists as Obaseki, Orbih’s Factions Hold Parallel Primaries in Edo
*One fataly shot, hospitalised Four Journalists were on Monday arrested by a combined team of Edo security outfit for allegedly covering what they termed "illegal assignment".
Those arrested were the State Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mrs Deborah Coka; Ohioze Inuarumen and his Camera man of African Independent Television (AIT), and Osamuyi Ogbomo of Independent Television/Radio,
This came as the Edo State chapter of the PDP, held parallel primaries to choose candidates for the Senatorial ticket.
The parallel primaries were held at different locations in the state between delegates loyal to Governor Godwin Obaseki and the PDP National Vice Chairman (South), Chief Dan Orbih.
The four were arrested for giving coverage to the faction loyal to the Dan Orbih delegates of the party.
However, while the faction loyal to Orbih held its primary at an event centre by the Airport gate, Obaseki’s group held theirs at the Samuel Ogbemudia’s stadium.
The journalists were arrested and taken to Oko Police Division, where they were detained for over five hours and made to give statement.
Coker, said they were arrested by a combined team of Edo Security Network, men of the State Vigilante and Police.
“Even after we told them that we were journalists carrying out our legitimate duty, they insisted that we are providing coverage for an illegal primary and that is why they took us to Command Investigation Intelligence Rapid Response Office located off Airport Road.
In the melee, she said one person was shot fatally and was rushed to the hospital, when venue of the primaries was invaded.
Meanwhile, at the indoor sports hall of the Dr Samuel Ogbemudia stadium where Obaseki’s delegates of the PDP converged, the former Majority leader of Edo State House of Assembly, Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, emerged the senatorial candidate, defeating the incumbent Senator Mathew Uroghide.
On the side of Orbih, the member, representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Ogbeide Ihama, emerged the candidate.
In Edo Central, former Minister of Works under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Mike Onolememen, picked the PDP ticket for Edo senatorial district while Hon Clifford Ordia, the incumbent senator emerged in the Obaseki-led faction.
Similarly, in Edo North, former Assembly Chief Whip and local government council chairman, Pascal Ugbome, emerged the candidate of the Orbih-led primary while Mrs Victoria Edelokun won the ticket of the Obaseki-led delegates in the parallel primaries conducted
Crisis in Kaduna APC Over Alleged Non-conduct of Delegate Polls
One of the contenders for the governorship ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, Sani Sha’aban, has protested against alleged nonconduct of special congresses for the election of delegates in the state.
The special congresses were said to have taken place across the 23 local government areas in the state on May 17 and 18, 2022, through consensus, in accordance with the APC election guidelines and constitution.
A five-member Appeals Committee headed by Tinuke Ogunrinde (from Oyo state) had told journalists that the congresses were hitch-free, and that no petition was received before, during and after the congresses.
According to Ogunrinde, “1,275 delegates were elected for local government and state delegates while 69 national delegates were unanimously elected.”
Addressing a news conference yesterday in Kaduna, the Director General of the Sani Sha’aban Campaign Organisation, Chief Joshua Ephraim, said there was no election anywhere in the state to produce delegates for the primary elections.
Ephraim also alleged that the campaign organisation wrote a petition to the Appeal Committee, but it refused to collect it, adding that, it had already submitted a petition to the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state to the effect that no congresses were held anywhere across the state to produce delegates.
“This statement is a direct response to the misleading and erroneous press released by the APC Delegates Primary Election Appeal Committee, given some hours ago in which it is claimed that, delegates Primary Elections to produce delegates in Kaduna State were held and; that there was no petition that was submitted by any person, or campaign organisation, during the purported two-day sitting of the Appeal Committee.