BY VICTORIA NGOZI IKEANO
victoriangozii@gmail.com 08033077519
 
Great expectations regarding anticipated results of political parties’ primary elections, especially that of the ruling, largest party, the All Progressives Congress, has come and gone with some heavyweight politicians falling by the way side. And the twists, turns and drama of 2007 race continue to unfold. In the first of this series published on May 29, I mentioned the mystery  of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s potential entry into the fray. This mystery has now been deepened by the Taminu Turaki faction of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) that is ‘drafting’ Jonathan into the race. Over the weekend, they told the world that Jonathan’s name and details have been sent to INEC.  Recall that INEC did not give this faction access codes for uploading its candidates. So, how did they do it?  “Notwithstanding INEC’s refusal to provide us with necessary access codes, we have successful submitted manually and in full compliance with Electoral Act 2026 the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic PDP”, announced Turaki faction’s publicity secretary, Ini Ememobong. He also stated that INEC confirmed receipt of their manually submitted list. Some weeks ago this PDP faction  told Nigerians that they had sold nomination forms to Jonathan, waved screening for him and that he had emerged their consensus presidential candidate. And now they assert that his name has been submitted to INEC accordingly. In all of these processes there is not a single photograph to back up their claims. The only remote semblance is a group photograph of the faction’s national working committee with Jonathan when they visited him recently at his Abuja residence, But Jonathan himself had never ever to-date, uttered a word about his contesting in 2007. INEC has just rejected the manual submission. It avers that the only acceptable mode is through its dedicated portal. What a twist, what  a drama.  
 
  In spite of the fact that parties have compiled list of their various candidates, some of the juggernauts that lost out are yet to come to terms with reality. Take the case of Oyo state where former minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu has refused to acknowledge that APC’s candidate has emerged.  Recall that Adelabu lost to Senator Sharafadeen Alli during the primaries by a wide margin. He insisted that there is no official statement from the party announcing anyone as Oyo’s APC gubernatorial candidate.  He teamed up with five former contestants to form a ‘forum of Oyo APC governorship aspirants’. As is its tradition, the party had urged its victorious candidates to go mend fences with any aggrieved aspirants by reconciling with them in order to strengthen party unity. But the ‘Aspirants Forum’ of which the former power minister is the arrow head is somehow, rebuffing Sharafadeen’s reconciliatory gestures, countering the candidate’s claim that a consensus  had been reached on the issue.
 
 A more intriguing situation played out in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa state recently when supporters of a defeated aspirant, former Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu (rtd) trooped to the streets in wild, colourful, bold jubilation, accompanied with burning of tyres, celebrating the ‘upturning of the primary election in favour of IGP’. Political observers were bemused.  Recall that retired IGP was a distant runner up in the Nasarawa state APC gubernatorial primary election that was won by Senator Wadada Aliyu.  Whereas Wadada is Governor Abdullahi Sule’s preferred successor, IGP Adamu is backed by immediate past governor, Tanko Almakura who himself had anointed Sule as his successor.  Most of those who lost out in APC and other political parties’ primaries allege that the exercise was riddled with malpractices.  This primary divided Nasarawa state APC family down the middle as supporters of both camps   (Sule/Wadada vs Almakura/IGP) are trading insults.  Later, IGP Adamu and his throngs of supporters reportedly decamped to SDP following it up with burning of APC symbols to wit.  That is why political observers are amused at the recent ‘jubilatory rally’ in Lafia because it is impossible for a political party to replace its certified candidate with someone that has left its fold. One can only appeal to both sides to rein in their supporters in the interest of Nasarawa state
 
Some other APC bigwigs that lost out in the primaries at various levels were able to maneuver their way to become consensus candidate in other parties while some of those that are seemingly stuck headed to the courts in a bid to have their names on the ballot. The courts have dismissed one such suit –that of  Senator Ned  Nwoko challenging election of former governor Ifeanyi Okowa as winner of Delta North’s senatorial ticket. Other court cases are still pending.  However,  going by precedents the courts are likely to dismiss the petitioners’ suits on the grounds that it is the internal affairs of political parties. It is worth recalling that during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s era the PDP had finalized nomination of Ifeanyi Ararume as its Imo state governorship flag bearer and submitted his name accordingly to the then electoral body. Later, the president as leader of the party directed the party’s hierarchy to withdraw Ararume’s name and to inform the electoral commission at that time that PDP has no governorship candidate for Imo. This was promptly complied with and PDP was missing on the state’s gubernatorial ballot. The point is that the party is supreme in this matter and has the authority to decide who runs under its platform. Granted, our electoral laws have been reformed since then. Still, they can always find a way to justify, exclusion/replacement of candidates.
 
 
 Daughter of former Head of state and former senator Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo joined the APC to contest for governorship position. Speculations were rife that she would be made Ogun state deputy governorship candidate after meeting President Bola Tinubu at his Lagos residence. But Iyabo soon rejoined her former party, PDP, as a senate candidate. And there ensued accusations and counter accusations between her and the APC candidate, Yayi.  Rufai  Hanga, NDC senator had talks with APC Chairman Nentawe  Yiwaltda in company of his state governor, Abba Yusuf. He later met President Tinubu himself, accompanied by the APC chairman and deputy senate president, Jibrin Barau. Everyone concluded that he was about to defect.  Alas, Senator Hanga made an about turn, asserting a few days ago that he is not decamping to APC but rather staying put in NDC. Political observers were confused.
 
Rivers state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara made what his critics would call a 360 degrees turn when he told everyone in no unmistakable terms that he is 100 percent in sync with the rainbow coalition led by federal capital territory (FCT) minister, Nyesom Wike.  Wike is national leader of a faction of the PDP. The governor told his supporters and those that profess to love him to toe his line by supporting the APC candidate Kingsly Chinda as governor of Rivers state as well as President Tinubu’s re-election.  Governorship flag bearer in the 2023 election, Tonye Cole revealed, “All factions have agreed to work together under a unified structure. We no longer have the divisions of APC in Rivers state, we have come into coalition and the coalition is to deliver APC Rivers state come 2027 and deliver the president in Rivers state in 2027”.