Oyo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), has postponed its local government primary elections earlier scheduled to hold this Thursday, 4th March, 2021.
According to a brief statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Akeem Olatunji this morning, the exercise has be postponed by 72 hours. The reason for the postponement was not stated in the release.
Olatunji said the leadership of the party will meet stakeholders for further consultation.
The statement read: “Oyo State PDP LG Primary election postponed for 72 hours, PDP leadership to meet stakeholders for further consultation.”
Goalpoacher News Correspondent, Funmilayo Oke who was at the party’s secretariat, Molete, Ibadan on Wednesday reported that some aspirants who were yet to get their clearance certificates besieged the secretariat to demand their certificates as they were locked outside. This prevented the aspirants from gaining access to the party secretariat.
Some aspirants who were disqualified earlier but had gone ahead to appeal their disqualifications are yet to know their fates.
In another development, some party members from Oke Ogun have expressed dissilutionment in the exercise as they alleged that some leaders and elders in the party have hijacked the whole process.
One of the aspirants who didn’t want his name mentioned accused a former factional chairman of the party in the state, who is an aide to Governor Seyi Makinde, said the 80-year-old man singlehandedly picked a 73-year-old man as the party’s candidate without following due process. He noted that six aspirants obtained forms and were cleared by the party’s screening committee only for our baba to tell us this and that are our positions.
Effort to speak with the former chairman on the matter was not successful.
There are other issues in the zone as those opposed to Senator Hosea Agboola have vowed to ensure they clip the wings of the chairman, Governor’s Advisory Council. They alleged that he (Agboola) thinks he could use his closeness with Governor Makinde to dictate who should emerge as the party’s candidates in all the ten local governments in Oke Ogun.