Lagos 2019: PDP faces another crisis over imposition of candidates

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seem set to be embroiled in a major crisis over the method adopted by the party in the selection of candidates for the 2019 general elections.

The PDP in the state had promised all aspirants who obtained the nomination and expression of interest forms that it would conduct primaries to select candidates for various elective positions in the state.

However, several of the party aspirants who spoke are now lamenting about the method adopted by the party in selecting candidates, stressing that the party refused to conduct primaries for aspirants for the various elective positions in the state, except the governorship position even when there was an agreement.

An aspirant for the House of Representatives in Ikorodu Local Government Area of the state who did not want his name in print, accused the party of choosing candidates through a consensus arrangement which was organised to favour some particular aspirants, vowing to dump the party and work against its interest in next year’s election if the issue was not resolved.

“A lot of us are not happy with the way the PDP selected candidate in Lagos State and we are protesting. This is what often happened, it did not start today, they promised us fair primaries, but look at what happened.

“A lot of us spent so much money and some leaders just met and selected some people and called it consensus arrangement, I am ready to leave the PDP I can tell you.”

However, a Senatorial aspirant, Kunle Koye, said the leaders of the party in the state choose the party’s candidate through a consensus arrangement which they had a right to do, stressing that there would always be a winner in a contest.

“It was the leaders of the party that decided to have a consensus arrangement, it is not new in the country, even the APC used that method, so it is normal for some people to complain, this is like a game we all cannot be candidates of the party.

There are leaders everywhere you can’t go against their decisions, these people complaining often when it favours them they would not talk”
When contacted, the Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Taofeek Gani and Secretary of the party, Prince Dosunmu, said it was only the chairman of the party in the state that could speak on the issue.

However, several calls and messages to the mobile number of the party chairman, Adegbola Dominic, were not responded to.