ANALYSIS: 14 ‘key’ points you probably did not know about Osun PDP guber ‘parallel’ primaries

Like the Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition party in the state, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has concluded its gubernatorial primary election slated to hold on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Primary elections, often abbreviated to primaries, are a process by which voters (delegates) can indicate their preference for their party’s candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election.

Findings by WITHIN NIGERIA revealed that existing injunctions from several courts contributed to the woes of the party. These court injunctions established a proxy leadership led by Wale Ojo who has the backing of Soji Adagunodo, National Vice-Chairman (Southwest) of the party and further strengthened the leadership of Sunday Bisi who has the backing of Senator Ademola Adeleke, a top contender in the 2022 guber election.

A check by WITHIN NIGERIA disclosed that party chieftains took sides with interested state leadership which resulted into parallel primary election. The crisis rocking the party has escalated, raising serious legal arguments and eliminating the high possibility of unified attacks against the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC).

Here are FOURTEEN things you probably did not know about Osun PDP parallel guber primaries:

1) Senator Lawrence Ewurujakpo, the Bayelsa Deputy Governor led the party’s national congress committee to monitor the primary election.

2) Unlike APC, the party embarked on INDIRECT PRIMARIES – the use of party’s delegates to elect candidate who will become the flagbearer of the party in the contest.

3) The two factions within the party had initially disagreed on the list of delegates that would be used for the “indirect primaries”. This escalated and led to the organising of gubernatorial primary at different locations.

4) One of the guber aspirants and runner-up in the 2018 PDP guber primaries, Akin Ogunbiyi pulled out of the contest, cited the influence of the national body and plots to work towards an outcome by leadership of the party as an excuse.

5) After two-hour meeting with some elders of the party, two aspirants namely Fatai Akinade Akinbade and Dele Adeleke stepped down from the race and jointly supported the aspiration of Otunba Dotun Babayemi.

6) There were rumours that Sanya Omirin, a guber aspirant in the party stepped down for Senator Ademola Adeleke. WITHIN NIGERIA can not confirm this as at the time of filing this report.

7) Wale-Ojo led faction held its governorship primary at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo WHILE Sunday Bisi led faction held its governorship primary at Osogbo City Stadium.

8) Party chieftains like ex-governor of the state, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, his deputy, Erelu Obada, member of PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Senator Olu Alabi, ex PDP National Vice Chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo and others.

9) Party chieftains like ex-PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, Dr. Lere Oyewumi, Prince Diran Odeyemi, ex-PDP state chairman, Ganiyu Olaaoluwa, Senator Adenigba Fadahunsi, Hon. Wole Oke, Hon. Bamidele Salam, Hon. Ajilesoro and state assembly members among others.

10) Senator Ademola Adeleke emerged as the winner of gubernatorial primary held at Osogbo City Stadium WHILE Otunba Dotun Babayemi emerged as the winner of gubernatorial primary held at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo.

11) The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewurujakpo, who was the chairman of the governorship primary declared Senator Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the gubernatorial primary WHILE Adelani Ajanaku who served as returning officer at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo declared Otunba Dotun Babayemi as the winner of the gubernatorial primary.

12) Out of six guber aspirants, two namely; Dele Adeleke and Fatai Akinade Akinbade attended the gubernatorial primary held at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo WHILE none attended the primary held at Osogbo City Stadium.

13) Results of primaries held at Osogbo City Stadium: Adeleke garnered 1,887, Fatai Akinbade, Akin Ogunbiyi, Babayemi recorded no vote and Mr. Sanya Ominrin got 4 votes WHILE Omirin got 16 votes, Ogunbiyi, 23, Fatai Akinbabe, 28, Dele Adeleke,  32, while Babayemi, got 1781.

14) Senator Ademola Adeleke who emerged as 2022 candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not record a single vote at primaries held at WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo WHILE Otunba Dotun Babayemi who also emerged as 2022 candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not record a single vote at primaries held at Osogbo City Stadium.