Governor Udom Emmanuel Urges Unity Among Ekiti PDP Guber Aspirants
- Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state has shared his experience conducting the Ekiti PDP guber primary
- The governor on return to his state said the exercise was hitch-free and conducted with the highest level of integrity
- Governor Emmanuel, however, dismissed some complaints arising from the exercise, saying those grumbling came to make trouble
Uyo - Akwa Ibom governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has urged contestants in the just concluded gubernatorial primaries of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti to bury the hatchet and work together for the victory of the party in the state.
Governor Emmanuel who was the leader of the 5-man PDP primary election committee in Ekiti state gave the admonition while fielding questions with Government House correspondents at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, upon his return from the assignment.
Source: Facebook
He thanked the national chairman and the National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP for the opportunity to serve the party, describing it as a privilege he cannot take for granted.
He also expressed satisfaction with the integrity and conduct of the primary election.
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The governor who described the exercise as transparent, fair, and credible, called on all participants in the contest to acknowledge the supremacy of the party and pull forces together to grab victory in the consequent general election as one party.
His words:
“I think personally I'm satisfied that the process was credible and I also believe almost 100% of the people that watched it will give us credit that it was a very credible, transparent, free, and fair election.”
He described as false and speculative, insinuations of unfair treatment and disenfranchisement of some aspirants, maintaining that the process was void of malpractices and created no room for expression of ill behaviours that would have given grounds to discredit the exercise.
According to him, such insinuations were indications of pre-perceived defeat, maintaining that the committee had an authentic list from the NWC which was followed religiously.
According to the governor, there was no single person who voted during the exercise that was not accredited, stressing that those who were not accredited were not allowed to vote.
He added:
“I've heard a whole lot; how some aspirants even before the process started, went to the press. ...I think they felt they knew the outcome even before we went into the election.
“Some of them came to make trouble but by the time they saw that there was no room for such trouble, they knew there was no way they could have made it.
“All the aspirants gave us a very excellent mark for all the processes: from accreditation to voting, to sorting, to counting, even to declaration of result. Even after that, we gave them an opportunity to speak of they were satisfied.
“We also had to make sure one of the international TV stations beamed it live so everybody could see the processes.”
How Bisi Kolawole emerged PDP's governorship candidate in Ekiti
Legit.ng had earlier reported that the PDP's governorship primary in Ekiti state was conducted on Wednesday, January 26, with Bisi Kolawole defeating 10 other aspirants to clinch the party's ticket.
The election was held at The Pope John Paul II Pastoral Centre in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital.
Kolawole, a former chairman of the PDP in the southwestern state, secured over 600 votes to emerge the winner.
How Abiodun Olujimi pulled out of Ekiti state PDP primary election
Though the final result shows she got two votes, Senator Abiodun Olujimi had withdrawn from the PDP primary election while the exercise was ongoing, claiming that she had been disenfranchised.
Olujimi who is the senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial District said she was disappointed with the process, saying:
“I feel disenfranchised, I feel like the party does not believe in my presence there. I believe the party does not believe in whatever I have done, so I have pulled out.”
Source: Legit.ng
