Former Minister of State for Education and governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike, has dismissed as untrue, allegations by 16 aggrieved governorship aspirants of the party that he was behind the initial disqualification of some of them from the race by the South-South zone screening committee of the party.
Wike, who spoke in Port Harcourt, enjoined the 16 aggrieved aspirants not to see politics as a do-or-die affair, adding that those who truly love the party should work for its growth in the state and the country.
Plans for tomorrow’s primaries to produce the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC for Lagos State took a twist last night after 11 of the 12 aspirants demanded a change of the procedures to allow for direct primaries.
The stance of the 11 aspirants was purportedly to avoid constitutional breaches on the basis of the fact that the 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs which are not recognised by the constitution were included in the process leading to the emergence of the delegates for tomorrow’s chosen indirect primaries.
The only aspirant that did not endorse the communiqué was Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.
Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, has said that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not collapse, saying no genuine party man aspiring for a position under the party would defect to alternative political party after the primaries.
There have been widespread speculation that the PDP will lose significance after the primaries of the party and that many of its members will also decamp to the opposition.
Wife of the President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Tuesday said there was no truth in media reports that she was imposing governorship candidates on some states ahead of the 2015 general elections.
She said she could not have performed such role because she was neither an elected official of state nor a Peoples Democratic Party functionary.
She made the clarification in a statement by her Media Assistant, Ayo Adewuyi.
She was reacting to a media report that some party leaders and stakeholders in Ebonyi State had decided to defect to the All Progressives Congress because she insisted that the Deputy Governor of the State, Chief Dave Umahi, must be the party’s governorship candidate.
The All Progressives Congress House of Assembly primaries held in the 26 constituencies in Ondo State in peaceful atmosphere.
Security operatives patrolled the different places where delegates chose their candidates to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order.
Accreditation started as early as 8am in most of the constituencies, while winners were announced as soon as the delegates completed voting.
