Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in Kogi State have threatened to work against the party in the November 2023 governorship election if the national leadership of the party fails to ensure a level field during the primaries.
The stakeholders stated this while raising the alarm over alleged manipulation of delegates’ list for the primary election.
The stakeholders, who protested against the alleged manipulation while addressing newsmen in Abuja, also insisted that the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is behind what’s happening in the state party, in spite of his denial on Tuesday.
The Kogi PDP stakeholders, led by a former chairman of Olamaboro local government area in the state, Farouk Adejoh, claimed that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP was influencing the process to facilitate the emergence of the Atiku’s presidential campaign spokesman, Dino Melaye, to get the party’s ticket.
He said: “Our major opponent in the election is our party itself, the people in this national Secretariat and some leaders of the party who are notorious for peddling interests.
“We were very happy that our flagbearer, has responded to allegations and criticisms that he is behind those manipulations. He has said that he’s not involved with the manipulations and that he has no preferred candidates in Kogi state governorship race but he must go beyond those words.
“We know that Sen. Abdul Ningi is his boy. We shall not agree that Abdul Ningi will come to Kogi state and run away with result sheets and begin to write strange names as delegates.”
doesn’t know then we are telling him that the person responsible is Abdul Ningi and Ningi is his boy.
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as our flag bearer is the leader of the party today. Atiku Abubakar should call Abdul Ningi or anyone to order today for the right thing to be done.
“All we are asking for is that Atiku Abubakar should, in the name of God, go beyond denial and ensure that not one single name among delegates is changed. The names allocated to Dino is 185. That is the known ones. If you want to give it to Dino, then don’t sell the forms.
“We are calling on Atiku, we have heard his denial but we don’t believe him. As a party leader, he has influence over this secretariat.
“If you go and manipulate the Congress list, so that you can award an easy victory to one of the candidates, what do you intend to do with the ticket?
“When you manipulate crudely in such a primitive manner, what do you intend to do with the ticket. Who will come and work for you when you didn’t win the primaries?”
The stakeholders further begged the party leadership to stop pushing people out of the party.
But Melaye, in a swift reaction, said the allegations by the party members in the state are imaginary and far from the truth.
He said the protesters became frustrated after they sought to manipulate the ward congress and failed, adding that “the accusation that Atiku is trying to manipulate the results in my favour is also far from the truth.”
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