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By Abisoke Balogun.
It is no longer news that the current member representing Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Ayo Yusuf desecrated the ancient Kabba town by introducing violence into the politics of the land.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives primaries was scheduled for 3rd October 2018. Delegates and party supporters were gathered at Prestige Hotel, GRA Kabba, which is the venue for the
primaries.
An Area Commander led the Police force, while an Army Major led men of the Nigerian Army to provide adequate security for primary election officials, INEC monitors, party leaders, delegates and supporters who trooped out in their numbers for the event.
The delegates waited all day at the venue of the primaries but the officials did not show up. Several calls were placed to the state and national headquarters of the party but no one could offer any concrete reason why the officials refused to show up.
At about 12 am, news filtered in that the primaries has been postponed to the next day, 4th October by 8am. At this point the delegates left for their various homes. At about 12;45am, reports filtered in that the returning officer for the election, Mr Bode Ogunmola, who is also the state publicity secretary of the party, is at the venue and has commenced accreditation. Again, the delegates rushed to the venue and asked why he choose to conduct the primaries at midnight after the delegate had left the venue.
Also, Ogunmola was asked why the issue of Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu was different from others as that place happened to be the only place where primaries was conducted in midnight without even waiting for the aspirants or their agents to show up.
He was then advised to step it down till morning in line with the proposed new date and time.
There was a minor altercation between Mr. Bode Ogunmola and some delegates as they sensed a foul play. Mr Bode Ogunmola then capitalised on that and left the venue of the primaries with the election materials for Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.
Attempt to make Mr Bode Ogunmola return to the venue proved abortive. The Area Commander and the Army
Commander both placed calls to Mr. Ogunmola to assure him of adequate security and conducive environment but he declined their requests to come back to Kabba.
Shortly after that, an online news platform was commissioned by Hon. Teejay Yusuf, through one of his allies, Mr Tunde Akanmidu to report that Hon Tajudeen Yusuf has been declared winner, even without election. Although, the online news later apologised for misleading the public and retracted the publication. All the aspirants, except Hon. Teejay Yusuf went to Kabba divisional police station where they formally lodged complain about the attempt by Mr. Bode Ogumola to sneak in and conduct primaries at the dead night for some clandestine motives.
The next day, the delegates waited at the venue without anyone showing up. Some aspirants then went to the home of zonal chairman of PDP, Barr Taiwo Kola-Ojo, where they then decided to go to Lokoja to find out what was happening.
On getting to Lokoja, they met with the returning officer, Mr Bode Ogunmola and begged him to come back to Kabba and conduct the primary election. Mr Ogunmola said the election materials are intact, however, he cannot go back to Kabba because of security concerns. At that point, the representative of the aspirants then request the state
party secretary, Farouk Yahaya to replace Mr Bode Ogunmola as returning officer.
The state party secretary insisted on meeting one Mr Sunday Adeniran, who is the chairman of the Kogi State House of Representatives committee from Abuja before Ogunmola can be replaced. On getting there, Mr Sunday Adeniran was reluctant to respond to the representatives of the aspirants and some leaders, including Hon Abiodun Ojo.
Eventually, he said he will require the approval of the national organizing secretary of the party before he can change a returning officer. Meanwhile, the various returning officers were selected by the state party secretary. At the point the people suspected a grand conspiracy not to conduct primaries in the constituency.
A member of the panel suggested that there was different level of compromise as it might not be easy to conduct the
election.
We also gathered that Hon Teejay Yusuf was the one who nominated Sunday Adeniran and has already compromise him with five million naira.
The aspirants later approached the the party’s Appeal Committee to file their petitions. The petitions were also
compromised by Mr. Sunday Adeniran who was said to have call Abuja and a decision was taken to recall the appeal committee chairman.
At that point, some unidentified supporters of the aspirants got angry and beat up Mr. Adeniran. It took the intervention of the police to rescue him from the angry mob at Idrinana Hotel, Lokoja.
As it is, the returning officer, Mr. Bode Ogunmola is insisting that there was no election and the electoral
materials are intact with him as such, no winner can be declared. He also promised to avail himself and testify that election did not take place in Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu federal constituency.
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