Don’t substitute winners of LG primaries, PDP leaders urge Okowa

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leaders in Ezebiri, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta, have urged Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, not to allow substitution of candidates that won the Dec. 21 primaries.

Mr Emmanuel Korokoro, a PDP stalwart in Bomadi, made the plea on behalf of the leaders, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Warri.

NAN reports that PDP in Delta had on Dec. 21 held its primaries across the wards to elect candidates for councillorship and chairmanship positions in the forthcoming council polls slated for March 6.

Korokoro said that upholding results from the primaries would foster internal democracy in the party.

He urged the governor to call the party leaders from Bomadi to refrain from imposing candidates who did not participate in the party’s primaries.

Korokoro said there were moves by some influential members of the party to substitute the winner with their “favoured candidates, who did not  participate in the primaries”.

He urged Okowa to call such party leaders to order and ensure that only candidates who participated in the primaries would be allowed to fly the party’s flag at the council polls.

Korokoro said that this would strengthen the party unity and victory in the general elections.

“We applaud the leadership of Gov. Okowa.

“We appeal to his sense of sound judgment and ideals of our party to check the overbearing influence of leaders who want to foist their cronies in breaching the party’s ideals of internal democracy.

“We have it on good authority that there are plans to substitute the name of the candidate who emerged from the primaries from Bomadi Ward 19.

Also Read: Threat of suicide bombs and attacks on public places over Christmas – DSS

“We urge the party to uphold the results declared before the party delegates at the primaries conducted by Madam Fere-Ere Gbe, who served as the returning officer.

“Doing so will be in the overall interest of the party and brighten its chances in the local government election,” he said.