•Former speaker emerges as party chairman in Kwara
Segun James in Lagos, Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki, and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
The Ebonyi and Oyo State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday conducted their congresses amid crisis.
An outbreak of violence also forced the Lagos State chapter of the main opposition party to postpone its congress indefinitely.
This is coming as a former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Babatunde Muhammed was yesterday elected as the new state chairman of the party.
The postponement of the congress by the Lagos State PDP was a result of gunshots inside the Tafawa Balewa Square venue of the congress.
Briefing newsmen before the postponement, the Ekiti State leader of the party, Senator Biodun Olujimi, who was sent to supervise the Congress along with Deputy Governor of Benue State, Mr. Benson Abounu, who chaired the committee said, they had tried since Friday to appeal to delegates to agree on consensus candidates, but to no avail, as delegates were adamant that the congress must hold.
“Throughout yesterday (Friday), we were trying to see how to resolve it, but we couldn’t, that is why we came out, if not we would have read out the names to the acceptance of the party members.”
The Ebonyi State Congress of the party was conducted amidst crisis.
A chairmanship candidate, Mr. Silas Onu described the congress that saw the emergence of Hon Tochukwu Okorie as the state chairman as a charade, stressing that the exercise was null and void.
Onu, who was the immediate past Caretaker Publicity Secretary, expressed sadness over the outcome of the election, adding that a few individuals in the state cannot hijack the party.
Onu accused the former Senate President, Senator Anyim Puis Anyim of being behind the charade.
Also, a chieftain of the PDP in the state, Senator Emmanuel Onwe said the congress was undemocratic and unacceptable.
Okorie scored a total of 1,240 votes to defeat Onu, who scored a total vote of 260 votes.
Announcing the results, the Chairman of the Ebonyi PDP State Congress Committee, Senator Ben Collins Ndu said that a total of 1510 delegates were accredited, adding that the election was a free and fair contest.
The South-east zonal Chairman of the party, Hon. Ali Odefa commended the panel for a peaceful, free and fair congress, adding that the party will do everything to reposition itself ahead of the 2023 general election.
In Oyo State, two parallel state executives emerged yesterday when two factions of the PDP held parallel congresses in Ibadan, the state capital.
The faction of the state Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, held its congress at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba in Ibadan.
Also, the aggrieved PDP members led by former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mrs. Mulikat Adeola-Akande and Chief Bisi Olopoeniyan, held their congress at Jogor Centre, Liberty Road, off Ring Road, Ibadan.
Announcing the congress results held at Lekan Salami Sports Complex, the Congress Chairman,
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State declared Mr. Dayo Ogungbenro as the PDP State Chairman.
Ugwuanyi said that Ogungbenro scored 3,110 votes out of 3,250 delegates votes that attended the congress from the 33 local government areas of the state.
Also, Mr. Wasiu Adeleke emerged as the State Secretary of the party with 3,111 votes.
On the other hand, Chief Michael Okunlade emerged as the Chairman of the Adeola-Akande-led faction with a total vote of 2,712 from delegates across the 33 local government areas of the state.
No fewer than 50 vehicles parked around the Jogor Centre, where the Adeola-Akande-led faction held its congress, were vandalised by hoodlums.
The hoodlums, in their scores, armed with sticks and cutlasses, were, however, prevented by security operatives from entering the venue of the congress.
Meanwhile, a former Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Muhammed has emerged as the new state chairman of PDP.
Muhammed alongside other officials of the state executive was elected through affirmation and all the delegates adopted them.
The Chief Returning Officer of the congress, Mr. John Gong who announced the names of the members of the state executive council of the PDP said that all the affected state executive officials were elected by consensus.
The congress was attended by the leader of the party and former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki
Those in attendance of the congress include Saraki; former national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed; former governorship candidate of PDP during 2019 elections, Hon. Razaq Atunwa; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon.Ali Ahmad and former minister of Youths and Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.
