Osun PDP primary: Ogunbiyi petitions party
…Asks to be declared winner
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may go into the September 22, governorship election in Osun State divided as the runner up in Saturday’s primary, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi has petitioned the leadership of the party to ignore the result and declare him the party’s flag bearer.
The insurance magnate stormed the Wadata Plaza, national secretariat of PDP yesterday with scores of his supporters to protest the outcome of the governorship primary.
Ogunbiyi faulted the process that produced the winner of the primary election, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke, who polled a total of 1,569 votes, seven more than Ogunbiyi’s 1,562.
In a petition addressed to the chairman, PDP Governorship Appeal Panel, Ogunbiyi argued that the 42 voided votes and 128 unaccounted votes should be added to his votes to give him a total to 1,732 votes.
He said “I Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi having polled the highest number of votes in the primary election of 21st July, 2018, be declared the validly nominated/ elected PDP governorship candidate for the forthcoming September 22, 2018 gubernatorial election for Osun state.”
Ogunbiyi also questioned Adeleke’s eligibility for the poll, stressing that a document allegedly submitted by the lawmaker as evidence of his educational qualification up to school certificate level does not meet the basic qualification stipulated by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act.
“The Principal of Muslim Grammar School, Ede, Mr. Khalid Abbas who purportedly signed the testimonial had not been posted to the school in question as at the date indicated on the document,” he noted, adding that “The Principal has denied ever issuing or signing it and the denial is very well on record,” he submitted.
He also called for the disqualification of Adeleke on the ground that “Contrary to Section 30, Sub Section E of the Electoral Guidelines for primary election 2018, the total number of delegates accredited was not announced before the commencement of voting.”
In his reaction however, Senator Adeleke enjoined all those who felt aggrieved to join hands with him to reclaim the state from the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He particularly urged Dr. Ogunbiyi to “come on board,” describing last Saturday primary election as a brotherly contest.
“I congratulate Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi and his hard fighting team for running a good and impressive campaign. It was a brotherly contest in our collective strives to redeem our state. It is therefore no gainsaying that we are all winners.
“My emergence as the governorship candidate of our great party marks the beginning of divine liberation of our dear people from repression and oppression,” he stated.
