Adeleke: Osun PDP primary poll passes litmus test of credibility, equity —Olafeso

NATIONAL Vice Chairman, South-West chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Eddy Olafeso, has said that last Saturday’s Osun State governorship primaries of the party passed the litmus test of credibility and equity, declaring that the PDP candidate that emerged from the exercise was eminently qualified to run for the September 22, 2018, governorship poll.

Olafeso said this while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Lagos, accusing the opposition of being responsible for the rumours of alleged irregularities of the primary election and certificate qualification concerning the party’s candidate.

According to the party chieftain, Adeleke, who is currently a sitting senator of the Federal Republic, possesses the minimum requirement to run for the office of the governor.

This is just as he said the peaceful conduct of two governorship primaries by the PDP in Ekiti and Osun states within few months had reposed confidence of integrity on the party in the eyes of Nigerians, assuring that all aggrieved members of the party in Osun State would be reconciled ahead of the election.

“It is open to the public that the Osun PDP primaries election was one of the most transparent in recent political history. The process is something we keenly showed interest and we gave everybody that contested a level playing ground.

“The entire electoral activity was televised live and the counting was done in the open. The challenger requested for a recount and this was done twice. No process can be more open than what the Governor Seriake Dickson election committee did in Osun last Saturday.

“I am happy to let you know that alongside other members and organs of the party, we are working to ensure unity among members. I spoke with Dr Akin Ogunbiyi and he assured me that his commitment and loyalty is to the party. He said he is waiting for the Monday meeting in Abuja because there were petitions written as to the conduct of the primary election,” he said.

While insisting that the party’s primary exercise passed the litmus test of fairness, free and credible primary election, the PDP boss said the PDP leaders were working to ensure that they went into the September 22 election with a united PDP.

“The primaries passed the litmus test of fairness, free and credible primary election. All our leaders are working to ensure that we go into the September 22 election with a united PDP and we believe it is the enemies of our party that are spreading the rumours of certain irregularities when they are not existing especially on the issue of the certificate,” Olafeso said.

Speaking further on Adeleke’s certificate issue, Olafeso, who is Adeleke’s certificate issue, Olafeso, said the committee in line with the PDP constitution did the screening and was very sure of the candidate’s qualification, regarding the contest for the election.

“We have in the line with the constitution screened the candidate and we are very sure of his qualification as to contest for the election. Besides paper qualification, what is also important is your pedigree; where you are born, your background and commitment to serve your community,” he said.#

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“He presented his certificate when he was running for the Senate and it was adequate. He has also presented the certificate to INEC as we speak, all those distractions are what we are trying to fight against, it’s just the usual distractions in our political process.

“We have been able to establish that he possesses the minimum requirement allowed by the constitution and he is eminently qualified to run for the position he is running for. We are guided by the constitution and I am a member of the screening committee and those are the things we take seriously,” he added.

On the allegations of vote manipulation at the Osun exercise, Olafeso described it as false and unfounded.

“A process that was televised live could not have been manipulated. The counting and vote recounting were all done openly in the presence of agents of all contesting aspirants and televised live.

“Nothing can justify the baseless accusation of doctored results or manipulated process by Governor Seriake Dickson and his team. The party appeal panel has so decided in their wisdom in line with what most Nigerians saw and watched on television last Saturday that the election process was free and fair.

“The party is working assiduously to address all grievances and bring all stakeholders together, assuage frayed nerves and forge a united front to deliver the much-needed victory in the September 22nd gubernatorial elections,” Olafeso said.