The PDP Stakeholders in Kogi PDP have warned that the non-clearance of two Senatorial aspirants, Ubolo Okpanachi and Aminu Suleiman by a screening panel set up by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must not be squashed through the backdoor by the appeal panel.
They stressed that the grounds for not clearing them were justified.
The PDP National Assembly screening committee sitting in Lokoja recently screened four aspirants from Kogi East, Isaac Alfa
Ubolo Okpanachi, Aminu Suleiman and Victor Adoji.
The result of the screening made public in Lokoja last Wednesday had shown that Okpanachi and Abubakar were not cleared for various improprieties.
According to the results, Abubakar was not cleared because he was not known to be a registered voter in Kogi East, while Okpanachi was not cleared because of his involvement in anti-party activities and plethora of other petitions challenging his eligibility to contest.
Owing to this, some stakeholders, who spoke to THISDAY on the condition of anonymity said the non-clearance of the duo had far reaching implications.
“Looking at these two aspirants as they stand at the moment, if this outcome of the screening is not quashed by the screening appeals committee, the grounds on which they are found wanting is sufficient enough to disqualify them from participating in the party primaries.
“For Aminu Suleiman Abubakar, the fact that he’s not eligible to vote or take part in the election in the senatorial district, automatically forecloses his benefiting from any vote that would be cast in the district, especially the one that he’s supposed to be a direct beneficiary,” he said.
Also, a party chieftain said, “Elder Ubolo’s reasons for not being cleared seems even more grievous, being hinged on anti-party activities. He was known to have left the PDP for the ruling APC, even confirmed to be an appointee of the APC.
“The Constitution of the PDP 2017, as amended, allows for members who defected from the party to return. However, for such returning members to be eligible to contest any elective office on the platform of the party, there are certain conditions that they must fulfill.
These conditions are properly spelt out in Chapter 2, Part 1, subsections 16 and 17, which has to do with the procedures for rejoining the party, status of a decampee, and other membership related matter”.
Another stakeholder stated that “for whatever merits or otherwise for the non clearance of this two aspirants, the consequences goes beyond affecting the aspirants alone.
“With these reasons and grounds for non clearance of these aspirants given by a committee set up by the party itself, it means that should the aspirants be cleared later by the appeals panel and subsequently go ahead to win the primaries, it would amount to given other parties grounds for future litigation against the PDP.
“For now a whole lot of legal questions have been thrown up against these two aspirants, can the PDP afford to put itself in a precarious position in the coming senatorial election in Kogi East?
Only time and time shall tell”.
