Two shot at PDP state congress

The protest, however, led to the indefinite suspension of the PDP state congress in the state

The youth, who became riotous, attacked and destroyed three government vehicles and threatened to burn down the party secretariat before mobile policemen came to the rescue.

In the melee, two youths were shot on the legs and taken away by the police.

At about 2:30pm, policemen shot sporadically into the air, apparently to disperse the youths who were chanting war songs and carrying placards with inscriptions like, �Akwa Ibom Consultative Forum says no to the use of fake lists,� �We reject fake delegate lists,� �Akwa Ibom State Government must allow the original lists to be used,� and �Say no to fake lists. It is detrimental to our democracy.�

The acting state Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Ibok Essien, was seen scampering for safety when the youths broke the rear glasses and windscreens of vehicles belonging to the state government.

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone, the immediate past National Chairman of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, Chief Don Etiebet, accused the state government of tampering with the list of aspirants.

Etiebet, who spoke through his Campaign Manager, Mr. Jimmie Idiong Enobong said, �They have replaced the original lists with fake ones and as I am speaking with you now, 98 per cent of the names on the list are fake.

�Apart from Oruk Anam, where Etiebet and Dr. Chris Ekpenyong hail from, and Eket Local Government Area, the list from other local government areas have been doctored.�

While announcing the indefinite suspension of the primaries in the state, the Chairman of Election Panel, Mr. Abdulahi Yaro said though, he had the authentic lists, he had to cancel the elections as a result of the protest by governorship aspirants and other members of the party.

Yaro, however, denied allegations that he collected N250million bribe from the state government.

Efforts made by our correspondent to speak with the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political and Legislative Affairs, Chief Joe Udobia, proved futile as he refused to comment on the development when our correspondent called him.

KADUNA

Despite the tight security under which the PDP local government congress was conducted in Kaduna State, the exercise was almost marred in Lere Local Government Area of the state where Friday�s alleged arrest of the council Chairman, Lawal Nuhu Kayeda by security men suspected to be operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission created tension.

PDP officials in the area were forced to suspend the conduct of the congress in order to douse tension amongst the residents.

Details of the council boss� alleged arrest, however, remained sketchy as none of the council chieftains was available for comments.

But the conduct of the congress, meant to elect the party�s candidates for the 2007 House of Assembly elections, was peaceful in other areas.

Party supporters and political thugs, who had gathered at the Ranchers Bees Stadium where the Kaduna North Local Government congress was held, were dispersed by the police with tear-gas.

Only accreditted PDP delegates were allowed into the stadium where they waited on the queue for their turn.

Armed policemen also mounted roadblocks on strategic routes leading to the congress venues.

Prominent politicians who were at the venue of the congress included a governorship aspirant, Alhaji Namadi Sambo; the Kaduna North council chairman, Alhaji Shehu Giant, and Alhaji Alimi Abubakar and others.

LAGOS

The primaries for the state House of Assembly was riotous in some parts of Lagos. The delegates started arriving at the designated centres for the elections at about 11 pm. But by 2 pm when our correspondents left some of the centres, elections had not commenced. Police officers were seen manning most of the centres, while some delegates turned out to be uncontrollable.

In constituency 01 in Alimosho Local Government, the delegates alleged that some factions in the party were trying to foment trouble. While the accreditation exercise was going on, area boys laid siege to the gate of the Hackney Hotel, venue of the primaries. It took the intervention of riot policemen to disperse the crowd.

One of the aspirants in the constituency, Mr. Bayowa Foresythe, said the situation was being brought under control. �What is happening is not strange. In politics you get this kind of thing. But it has to be managed. And I think that is what the leaders of the party are trying to do.�

Foresythe explained that the riotous environment was due to the activity of some non-members of the party who were out to foment trouble in the constituency. The leader of the constituency, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Oluwole, also blamed the problem on a faction in the party. �There is a faction that is causing this problem. If you look at what is happening, most of the delegates are waiting in the compound patiently for the election. But there is this faction in the party that is causing all the problems. Most of them are outside the gate,� she said.

By the time our correspondent left the venue of the congress, riot policemen were busy controlling the restless crowd outside the venue of the congress.

OSUN

A former Minister of External Affairs, Major Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), supervised the Osun state PDP state congress which was generally peaceful.

He praised the maturity of the state governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the party leadership for the way the exercise was conducted.

ENUGU

The crisis in the political leadership of the PDP in Enugu came to the fore when the Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, boycotted the state congress, even as the primaries started very late due to the late arrival of materials from the party headquarters in Abuja.

As at 1pm, forms and ballot boxes were still being shared out to electoral officers at the party secretariat.

Investigations by our correspondent showed that Nnamani and some other National Assembly members like Senator Fidelis Okoro ignored the congress.

It was gathered that 60 persons contested for the state House of Assembly primaries but 10 were disqualified for various reasons, including non-payment of taxes and non-possession of authentic party cards.

It was learnt that 21 members of the state assembly bought the forms to be voted back to the assembly in next year�s elections.

Three members of the assembly, including Joseph Onoh, representing Enugu North, were however dropped from the list of delegates.

Joseph, son of Chief Christian Onoh, former governor of Old Anambra State, was believed to have been dropped because of his father�s opposition to Governor Nnamani.

OGUN

President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday, restated that he would support whoever emerged as the presidential candidate of the PDP and other members of party that would contest the 2007 elections.

The President stated this at Adebisi Omoyinmi, Hall in the Abeokuta North Local Government Area during the PDP primaries.

He promised to abide by the wish of the party and support candidates that would be chosen at various congresses.

Obasanjo, who arrived at the hall around noon, however, sprang a surprise when he left about 45 minutes later and handed over his card to the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Alhaji Sarafa Ishola.

Contrary to insinuations that he had favoured aspirants for all posts, the President directed the SSG to cast the vote on his behalf for the winner of the primaries at the centre.

He said after the votes of 685 delegates had been counted, Ishola should cast his (Obasanjo�s ballot) for the winner.

The President stated that he was satisfied with the conduct of the primaries in Abeokuta North, adding that it was a clear indication that �the party has arrived.�

He said that the PDP was a party to beat in 2007. According to him, the PDP is now better organised party.

�I have decided that after every congress, a candidate will emerge. That candidate is mine,� the President said.

OYO

There were strong indications on Saturday that the state congress of the PDP in Oyo State was held in secret locations.

Efforts by our correspondent to trace any venue of the congress in Ibadan were futile.

In a telephone interview, the embattled Chairman of the state PDP, Alhaji Hafiz Tijani, corroborated findings by our correspondent.

He said feelers from Oke-Ogun, Oyo and Ibadan indicated that the congresses were not held in open places.

Tijani, who was suspended as the chairman of the state PDP on Monday, said his �purported suspension was illegal and had been waved aside by the national headquarter of the party.�

On Saturday, he said he received many calls from the areas mentioned that the congress was not elective as directed by the national headquarters of the party.

The PDP chairman said he would make his report known to the headquarters about the situation on the ground in Oyo State.

On his suspension, he said, �There is nothing like that. My chairmen from the local governments are behind me. The headquarters is not taking it serious. I remain the recognised chairman of the party.�