2019: Adebutu Suffers Another Blow, accuses INEC of bias

Ladi Adebutu

Governorship candidate of Ogun State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Oladipupo Adebutu, has faulted the list of party’s candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing the electoral umpire of demonstrating clear partiality in the published lists.

Adebutu gave the reaction on Friday in Lagos at a press conference, insisting that he remained the candidate of PDP in the state and not Senator Buruji Kashamu which INEC published on its list.

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It would be recalled that in the lists of candidates for the 2019 elections made available on Thursday, the electoral commission had published the name of Senator Kashamu as the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State.

Both Kashamu and Adebutu emerged from two different primaries held in the state, a development which had continued to witness series of litigations over who should fly the party’s ticket in 2019.

Adebutu,  who is currently a member of House of Representatives and its Chairman, Committee on Rural Development, while maintaining his stance, said the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) had always  recognised him as its candidate and further accused INEC of acting a script by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the state at all costs in the forthcoming elections.

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According to him, the NWC of the party had always claimed the primary that produced Kashamu did not follow the party process, saying even based on an existing court judgement, the NWC is adjudged the authorised body to pronounce who should fly the party’s flag.

The PDP chieftain wondered why INEC would still go out of its way to list Kashamu as the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State in spite of the two Abuja High Court orders he obtained in his favour, alleging that the commission’s action smacked of bias and a clear attempt to destabilise the party and undermine its victory.

This was just as he recalled that the Supreme Court had long before now upheld that it was the constitutional right of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to determine who flies the party’s flag.

“INEC has come out to choose between these contending orders and as a result creating confusion in the Peoples Democratic Party.

“While we recognise that INEC should be a fair arbiter, that should be their role in elections. But we have seen INEC to be biased in this matter.

“The question is: For what purpose or effect is this bias? In our view because of the desperation to dismember our party, INEC is continually interfering in our party process,” he said.

Speaking further, Adebutu said he had no doubts that INEC was acting a script by the ruling APC to win the state at all costs, pointing out that the best INEC should have done based on situation on ground was to publish both his name and that of Kashamu as candidates of PDP or publish no names pending the resolution of all litigations in court.

Adebutu, while expressing optimism that his candidacy would be affirmed by the court before or even after the elections, however, assured that he and his supporters would not leave the party over the development in order to not to give room for APC, saying he was resolved to mobilise for PDP’s victory in the elections.

Tribune