The Ahmed Makarfi faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has disowned Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim as the party’s candidate for the forthcoming Ondo gubernatorial election, stressing that Ibrahim who is of the Ali Modu Sheriff’s group, illegally emerged as the candidate of the PDP.
The Makarfi faction equally declared that the PDP had no other candidate apart from a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, who emerged the candidate of the party last week during the primary of the Makarfi faction, held at the International Events Centre, Akure.
Whereas, Ibrahim won the primary of the Sheriff faction held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Monday.
The Makarfi faction, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Publicity Secretary in Ondo state, Mr. Banji Okunomo, maintained that the primary of the Sherriff faction was illegally conducted, adding that it was not attended by the “real stakeholders.”
According to the statement, “All the persons that fall in the various categories making up the governorship primary had already participated in the Congress that produced Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) as the flag bearer of the party.
“These persons cannot be impersonated and their roles in the electoral college cannot be replicated, duplicated or copied in whatever guise.
“It is also very important, at this juncture, to tell the whole world that Jimoh Ibrahim, the acclaimed candidate of the illegal parallel PDP primary, is not a member of the PDP from ward to state level.”
Makarfi faction held that Ibrahim had left the PDP and had allegedly joined the Accord Party, AP, and he had not yet relinquished his membership of the AP. It also alleged that Ibrahim had not followed the procedure necessary to rejoin the PDP.
The statement asserted that it is not only illegal for a member of another party to pick the governorship ticket of the PDP, but it also amounts to double standards. Hence, the Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State has declared Jimoh Ibrahim a ‘persona non grata.’
The PDP, in the statement, encouraged members to remain steadfast and work for the success of the party in the governorship election slated for November 26, 2016.
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