Controversy on Monday trailed the PDP Lagos Central senatorial primary election and the reported emergence of Wale Gomez as the party’s candidate.

Many ad hoc delegates, leaders and party faithful had gathered at No 67, Adelabu Str. Surulere, the earlier announced venue for the primary, all day before the venue was changed to Obele Odan Community Hall, Fujah Street in Surulere.

Before many of the delegates at the earlier venue could converge on the new venue, the election had been held, and a winner emerged in the person of Mr Gomez.

Adegboyega Openiyi, an ad hoc delegate, said only Mr Gomez showed up at the venue, and he was declared the winner by the returning officer.

“Only one aspirant turned up and was declared the winner through voice votes after accreditation of delegates from each local government area,” Openiyi, a delegate from Lagos Island, said.

He said the exercise was monitored by security agents and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, Mr Sherrif Adepote, an ad hoc delegate from Lagos Mainland local government area, who rushed in from the earlier venue, decried the development. He said it would further narrow the chances of PDP in the 2023 general elections.

“This kind of game cannot lead us anywhere in PDP. We will remain where we are. Initially, we heard that the primary would hold at the NAPTIP building, and we were waiting there until we heard of the change of venue this evening, and before we got here, they said the exercise had been conducted,” said Mr Adepote. “It is shoddy, and it is not acceptable. At the end of the day, we must sit down and resolve things.”

One of the aspirants, Victoria Oniru, expressed shock, describing the poll as “kangaroo primary.”

“I am not in contact with members of the committee. They gave us a venue for the primaries, we were there only to be told they would no longer use that venue, and when we got here, we were told the primaries had been held. There was no election, and the people at the new venue said somebody had won the primaries,” explained Ms Oniru. “This is a culture of impunity and ineptitude. Those that conducted the election, where did they come from?”

She called for the cancellation of the election and demanded that the party leadership fix another date for a free, fair and credible primary.

Pearse Adetokunbo, an aspirant, said the alleged primary would not stand.

One hundred and forty aspirants are contesting the PDP tickets for the 40 seats in Lagos house of assembly, 85 for the 24 House of Representatives seats, 13 aspirants for the three senatorial districts and six for the governorship.

Six aspirants are contesting the party’s ticket in the Lagos Central senatorial district.

The five local government areas that make up the Lagos Central senatorial district are Apapa, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Lagos Mainland and Lagos Island.

(NAN)