Lagos Guber Primaries: Obanikoro Drags PDP To Court

By Dapo Akinrefon, Vanguard

Erstwhile ‎Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, yesterday dragged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before a Federal High court in Abuja over the controversial conduct of the Lagos State governorship primary which saw Mr. Jimi Agbaje emerge as the winner.

Obanikoro said the move had become imperative as the PDP had failed to act on his petition in which he complained about the anomalies of the primary.

Obanikoro said this yesterday at a press conference held at campaign office in Lagos.

‎The former minister said he could not comprehend how the number of accredited delegates (806) could exceed the number of votes (863).

According to him, the 48 hours timeline stipulated by the PDP Electoral Guideline to address the appeal had elapsed without a response from the party.

He said in the light of the development, only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a court could compel the party to conduct a fresh primary.

His words: “We must stand by the truth and the truth is that the election of Monday must be cancelled and repeated. We turned in our petition on Tuesday thinking that yesterday (Thursday) the party would reply according to its guidelines but they have not responded as we speak.”

Continuing, Obanikoro said “when I noticed that they did not respond, we went to a Federal High court and sued the party.

I stand for a greater Lagos and anything that will derail that journey will be fought with every drop of our blood.”

He, however, took a swipe at Chief Bode George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe,  who he accused of manipulating the process to favour Jimi Agbaje.

Said he “Chief Olabode George thinks that he could just bark and people like us would sit down but I think by now, he would have got the message and we will stand shoulder to shoulder. This is not about age because if you want to be respected,  you must respect yourself.”

Speaking further, he said “we told him at the beginning that if he wants to be the unifier and the umpire, you have to be above board but him and Ogunlewe did not do that, they became the director general and deputy director general of Agbaje campaign organisation. Bode George turned his office in Lugard to Agbaje’s campaign secretariat.”

Credit: Vanguard