Idah Reps: Engr. John Ibrahim’s Mandate Intact, PDP Aspirants Insist

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Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the aspirants under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ibaji, Idah, lgalamela/Odolu and Ofu Federal Constituency have backed the victory of Engr. John Ibrahim Ocheje at the primary election conducted by the party on 23rd of May, 2022.

The aspirants; Hon. John Ibrahim, Hon. Abubakar Sediq Ainoko and Rt. Hon. Ismaila Inah Hussain threw their weights behind Engr. Ocheje in a petition written, jointly signed and sent to the national chairman of the party.

The three aspirants were amongst the four contenders for the House of Representatives seat of the constituency in the forthcoming general elections under the PDP. They maintained that the party’s primary conducted on the 23rd of May 2022 which Engr. John Ibrahim emerged remained the only and acceptable mandate of the party in the constituency.

In their submissions, they noted that they were four House of Representative aspirants who jostled for the ticket of the party from the primary election and Engr. Ocheje emerged as the flagbearer of the party in the constituency.

They stated that after the primary election which returned Engr. Ocheje as the winner, confirmed by the returning officer of the party and INEC officer, it was only ridiculous and surprising to receive the decision of the party for a re-run of an election conducted without rancor nor with any notice of appeal afterwards.

“We were not informed of any re-run election and neither did we participate in the re-run election after the one conducted on 23rd of May, 2022,” The petition read in part.

The petition read further that; “we have all in the spirit of oneness and sportsmanship conceded and congratulated Engr. John Ibrahim Ocheje who emerged the winner in the primary election.” 

While urging the National Chairman and indeed the entire leadership of the party to revisit the injustice against Engr. John Ibrahim Ocheje, the aspirants argued that going into an election in such circumstance of injustice and ill-treatment of against the people’s choice will spell a total doom for the party.

The aspirants contended the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, the PDP Constitution and all other enabling instruments were duly complied with in the conduct of the primary election that produced Engr. Ocheje as the authentic candidate of the party. They insisted on backing Engr. Ocheje’s mandate as the acceptable flagbearer of the party for the constituency’s seat.

In the party’s earliest primary election conducted, Engr. Ocheje scored 49, Hon. Omale Ojogbane 43, Hon. Abubakar S. Ainoko 29 and Rt. Hon. Ismail Inah 6. The party was alleged of upturning the candidature and victory of Engr. Ocheje without recourse to due process in favour of Hon. Ojogbane who was the first runner-up in the first election.


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