More confusion rocks Ondo PDP over guber candidate

The Ali Modu Sheriff  faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State may have rejected all entreaties to it by some prominent chieftains of the party within and outside the state to stay action on its plan to conduct a parallel governorship primary election ahead of the Saturday, November 26, 2016 governorship election in the state.

NEWSVENT learnt that following announcement last Thursday by the faction that it would conduct a primary election to select a flag bearer for the PDP in the state, in spite of the emergence of a candidate from the Ahmed Makarfi faction of the party last week, prominent chieftains of the party swung into action in a frenzied bid to avert what many observers have described as a dangerous development.

“Fearing what will happen if the Edo scenario is allowed to repeat itself here, leaders of the party within and outside Ondo reached out to the leaders of the faction here in Ondo, urging them to prevail on Sheriff to shelf the idea of a parallel primary election. Several meetings were held but I fear that all may have failed to change the situation,” a former chairman of the party in the state told NEWSVENT. 

Consequently, the screening of governorship aspirants in the Ali Modu Sheriff  faction began at the weekend in Abuja. A national committee, chaired by Yunusa Mohammed, conducted the screening at the PDP National Secretariat. Back home in Akure, leaders of the Makarfi faction insisted the exercise was in futility as they remain the authentic faction of the PDP in Ondo.