PDP factions ignore court ruling, hold primaries in Ondo

The two factions of the People’s Democratic Party in Ondo State held their separate House ofAssembly primaries on Saturday despite the Abuja High Court Ruling nullifying the CaretakerCommittee instituted by the National Working Committee of the party.However, in Idanre, Ondo East, Ondo West and Ese Odo council areas of the state, party members defied the line of differences and chose to hold a harmonized primaries.The court had ruled that the caretaker committee set up by the PDP NWC should have nothing to do with issues of primaries and sustained the tenure of the current party working committee in the state.It was gathered that INEC officials in the state stayed away from the primaries conducted by both factions due to the conflicting reports about the Friday Judgement.Chairman of the Old PDP Ebenzer Alabi and representatives of the Mimiko-led faction, the Attorney General and Justice Commissioner Eyitayo Jegede and the State Cooperative and Community Development Commissioner, Clement Faboyede, were seen at the INEC office in Akure to complain about the failure of its staff to witness their Primaries.But security operatives were present at the venue of the primaries of the factions, even as the exercises were peacefully conducted across the state.While primaries were held in some constituencies, outright ratification of consensus candidates were done in many of the areas yesterday.Speaking with newsmen at the Party Secretariat, Alabi said the Primaries were conducted peacefully across the state.Alabi said he and the leaders of the other faction were at the INEC office to straighten out the issue of which primaries its staff would attend.He said that the matter was agreed in favour of the old PDP, but as of the time the Primaries was conducted and winner emerged at the Party Secretariat INEC officers were not seen.Reports across the state showed that INEC officials did not attend any of the Primaries conducted by the two factions.But Information Commissioner, Kayode Akinmade said INEC officials were present during theprimaries held in Idanre.