Chinelo Obogo
A support group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Yerwa Oodua, has said the party has no valid candidates for the Borno State governorship and Central Senatorial district election.
In a press conference held, on Monday, in Ikeja, Lagos State, the chairman of the group, Bakura Goni-Makinta and his secretary, Mustapha Mustapha, said unless the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognises the former Minister of state for Power, Mohammed Wakil as the PDP governorship candidate and a former speaker of the state assembly, Bukar Kachallah as the PDP candidate for Borno Central senatorial district, the party may lose the elections.
Goni-Makinta said, “Ahead of the 2019 general election, the PDP in Borno State currently has no valid candidates particularly for the Governorship and Borno Central senatorial election until the ongoing court appeal cases between the two factions of the party are determined in weeks to come.
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“Notwithstanding the publication of the names of Alhaji Mohammed Imam for the governorship and Senator Mohammed Abba Aji for the Borno Central senatorial election by INEC, the two persons are not valid candidates because their primaries were conducted by an unlawful state executive committee under the chairmanship of Alhaji Zannah Gaddama. Whereas a federal high court in Maiduguri had two months ago, delivered a judgment clearly recognising the state executives of the PDP in Borno State under the leadership of Alhaji Usman Bade.
“Based on its lawful recognition by the federal high court in Maiduguri, the PDP state executives under Usman Baderi’s leadership has since held its credible primary elections and has produced the former Minister of state for power, Mohammed Wakil as the PDP governorship candidate in Borno State and a former speaker in the Borno State House of Assembly, Alhaji Bukar Kachallah as the PDP candidate for Borno Central senatorial election.
“We are very optimistic that very soon, the court will in reaffirming it’s earlier judgment, give an order to the INEC to uphold the names of Alhaji Mohammed Wakil as our governorship and Bukar Kachallah for the Borno Central senatorial election as our candidates elected from lawful primary elections.”
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Speaking further, the group noted that the PDP has no chance ahead of the governorship and the Senate because “Alhaji Mohammed Imam does not have the pedigree to challenge the APC governorship candidate who is a very popular Professor with known records of deep involvement in the rebuilding of many communities destroyed by Boko Haram in about 20 local government areas of Borno State.
“In Borno today, no serious person with a voters’ card pays attention to Mohammed Imam. On the contrary, the valid PDP governorship candidate, Alhaji Mohammed Wakil, a one time majority leader in the House of Representatives and former Minister is known to have records that good enough to make the PDP emerge victorious in the 2019 governorship election”.