Ondo election: PDP appeals as Presidency compels INEC to name Ibrahim as candidate

Until about 6 p.m. on Thursday the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to accept Jimoh Ibrahim as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the forthcoming November 26 governorship election in Ondo State.

ionigeria.com, authoritatively gathered that the INEC made a U-turn after its National Chairman got a call from the Presidency with a directive to accept Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim as the candidate of  PDP.

INEC had earlier displayed the name of the immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo state, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Eyitayo emerged as the winner of the Ahmed Maikafi faction by polling 760 votes to defeat the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PDP in the 2012 governorship election, Hon. Saka Lawal.

The primary election was duly monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and it attracted local and international observers, the press, security apparatuses in the State.

 

But, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act which mandates INEC to monitor the conduct of Party primaries, the primaries that produced Mr. Ibrahim was not monitored by INEC in addition to the fact that it took place in Ibadan.

But immediately he secured the ticket of the Alhaji Modu Sheriff’s faction, Jimoh rushed to the court of Justice Okon Abang to declare him the rightful candidate of the PDP.

 

According to one of our sources, “the Presidency is desperate to win Ondo State, they know Jimoh Ibrahim is a politically weak candidate who cannot win but they are using him to destabilise PDP, in order to pave way for Chief Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) after edging out Mr. Segun Abraham, the prefered candidate of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

 

But, a source close to the incumbent governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko informed ionigeria.com that “the fraud cannot stand as the Markafi faction has appealed the presidency induced INEC decision”.