Bayelsa PDP primary: Why result isn’t acceptable – Alaibe

Timi Alaibe, one of the 21 aspirants that contested Wednesday’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Bayelsa state has denounced the result saying the list of delegates was manipulated.

The former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) came a distant second behind Senator Douye Diri who scored 561 votes as against Alaibe’s 365.

Rejecting the victory of Senator Diri, who currently represents Bayelsa Central senatorial district in the senate, Alaibe, who only a recently returned to the PDP, said in a statement that the result of the primary was affected by “inherent flaws bordering on crass disrespect for legal procedures and party guidelines”.

“For instance, by the provisions of Section 50(1) of the Party Constitution, the authority to formulate guidelines for all matters relating to the governorship primary is vested in the NEC of the PDP. The election of ad-hoc delegates is one of such matters.

“Strangely, the panel set up to undertake this exercise simply imposed on us a list of electoral and returning officers prepared by the state officers of the party who are avowed members of the orchestrated Restoration Team.

“Thus, the process was deliberately handed over to the Restoration Team. Our protest was ignored.”

Further, Alaibe faulted the use of the local council chairmen and councillors in the state as delegates in the primary.

“We express our serious reservations about the process that led to the primary for its unconstitutionality and its outcome completely unacceptable because of its illegitimacy.

“This is simply a setback. We will remain focused, believing that very soon we would be able to realise our aspiration,” he added.

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