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Ogun: Adebutu, Sowunmi Emerge Parallel PDP Guber Candidates

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The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has produced two governorship candidates, Ladi Adetutu and Segun Sowunmi in a parallel primary.

The two factions of the main opposition party held their primary at different locations in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Wednesday.

The spokesman of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Sowunmi, former lawmaker, Adebutu, an ex-banker, Jimi Lawal and Abodunrin Abimbola, are the four aspirants battling for the PDP ticket.

Sowunmi emerged as the winner in the primary held at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abeokuta.

He gathered 554 votes to defeat his closest rival, Lawal who scored 30 votes, while Adebutu polled 15 votes.

Sowunmi was declared the winner by the chairman of the electoral committee, Abayomi Daniel.

Daniel stated that 778 delegates were accredited, 702 votes were cast while three votes were not valid.

In the faction loyal to Adebutu, their governorship primaries spearheaded by the state exco, loyal to Adebutu, commenced at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).

Adebutu and Lawal were the only aspirants present at the venue.

The parallel primaries which started around 4:45 pm turned violent after two delegate lists were presented.

The PDP electoral panel, headed by Prof Akase Sorkaa, had brought a delegate list from the PDP headquarters in Abuja, while Lawal submitted another one at the venue.

Lawal and his supporters insisted that the two lists were not the same.

One of the aides of Lawal, Austin Oniyokor claimed that his principal’s list had been certified by the INEC, and insisted that the exercise must not take place unless the said document is adopted.

Oniyokor said, “This exercise cannot be conducted with the fake list. These are INEC generated documents. These are your certified documents.”

The state chairman of the party, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele, called for calm among the warring factions to allow the primary hold peacefully.

According to Ogundele, the delegates list being adopted was brought from the national headquarters of the party by the electoral committee.

The secretary of the party, Sunday Solarin, alleged that the drama was a ploy by some elements to disrupt the exercise.

The situation became worse as another group allegedly “imported” political thugs to the venue, hurling missiles at the delegates at the entrance of the hall.

Sanity later returned to the venue after about two hours of crisis and delay.

When the accreditation began around 7:10 pm, Lawal, his aides and supporters walked out of the venue.

In the end, Adebutu was announced the winner having polled 714 votes out of the 715 votes cast.