Primaries: Alaibe writes PDP NWC, demands transparent ward congresses

One of the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship aspirants in Bayelsa in the forthcoming primaries Timi Alaibe has written to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party alleging that the just-concluded state ward congresses were marred by irregularities.

Specifically, the former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonatha on Niger Delta Affairs, alleged that the list of returning and electoral officials for the ad-hoc delegate elections ahead of the governorship poll in the state was manipulated.

According to him in a statement he issued at the weekend, some names had been inserted to favour some aspirants, saying that names were mostly added to favour the preferred aspirant of Governor Seriake Dickson.

He further alleged that the manipulation was a deliberate calculation to truncate his aspiration and to mock internal democracy within the PDP.

“They have failed this time around because no degree of intrigues, no amount of manipulation and propaganda can push me out of this race.

“Nothing will change my decision to lift the lot of our people through purposeful leadership. I am here to stay and together we will win”, he said and called on the NWC to take proactive steps to correct the error.

Alaibe said the least that ought to have been done would have been to provide a level-playing field for all aspirants to test their acceptability among the delegates to the primary election.

Therefore, he said skewing the delegates list to favour a particular aspirant is a clear disservice to the party and the state in general because of the danger that attitude represents.

“While winning to us is not a do or die affair, the process of choosing the party flag bearer should be made unquestionably transparent such that in the end, the outcome would be acceptable to all so that we could stand as one to face the real opponent.

“Our supporters and friends should, therefore, remain calm and stand firm believing that the national leadership of our great party would intervene and do the right thing,” Alaibe said further.

Alaibe, who only recently decamped from the All Progressives Congress (APC) back to the PDP, urged the party to adopt same method that is making the conduct of similar primary in Kogi state a smooth and rancour-free exercise, instead of very narrow and selfish reasons to ruin the exercise in Bayelsa state.

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