Parties’ Primaries: Defeated Aspirants, Delegates In Roforofo Fight Over Refunds

• Ondo two-term Senator retrieves vehicles 
• It’s nothing dramatic – Former V-P Sambo’s son  

BY VICTOR BUORO – It is indeed a season of bizarre political engagements between parties’ delegates and aspirants who lost monetary and material investments pursuing parties’ tickets to contest in next year’s general elections.

Happenings across the nation’s political space indicate that ‘rofo-rofo’ fight is taking the centre stage as some defeated aspirants, not taking their losses lightly, are now breathing down the necks of delegates who collected their money with the promised delivery of their votes at the primary elections.

This is as Adam Namadi, son of former Vice President Namadi Sambo, insists there is nothing sinister after confirming receipt of his refund from delegates after losing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives ticket for Kaduna North Federal Constituency

Interestingly, the latest in the long list of these comical but disgraceful occurrences comes from Ondo State where a man who should know better is in the news making rounds for the wrong reasons.

The disturbing story webs around the Chairman of Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure who has reportedly retrieved vehicles donated to PDP chieftains a few days after losing his third term bid to the upper legislative Chamber.

Akinyelure, who represents the Ondo Central Senatorial district in the 9th National Assembly, lost the Party’s primary to a greenhorn, lfe Adedipe (SAN) polling 58 votes to the winner’s 82 votes with former State Party Chairman having 57 votes.

Bitter over the election outcome, a party official said Senator Akinyelure promptly retrieved vehicles he handed to Chief Segun Adegoke, a member of the PDP’s Board of Trustees (BOT), and Hon. Wole Akindiose, a former PDP Chairman in Ondo East and national delegate to the party’s upcoming national convention.

However, reacting to the reports, Akinyelure’s Media and Strategy Adviser, Charles Akinwon, explained that the Senator only retrieved the vehicle given to Akindiose given his antagonistic posture during the primaries.

According to Akinwon, the true position is that Akindiose collected the car not as a gift but for the primary election assignment after promising to deliver Ondo East/West delegates to Senator Ayo Akinyelure which he did not only fail to deliver but did not even vote for him.”

Senator Akinyelure, who blamed his defeat on the immediate past Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, lamented that despite his contributions and what he has done in the senatorial district, he was still voted out by the delegates on the instructions of some party leaders.

“As a ranking Senator and with all I have done for them in Ondo Central Senatorial District, the three ad-hoc delegates that favour Olusegun Mimiko received instructions to vote me out. I am not happy about this, but I know my God will never fail.

“I know what I am talking about. We have six local governments in the central, by the grace of God I am still a sitting Senator. The election was so transparent but I know that with the volume of what I have done for the Ondo Central Senatorial District, I did not expect to be paid this way. But I have a destiny that nobody can stop.”

Adam Namadi Confirms Refund Story But…

In confirming the refund story, Adam Namadi said the media got it wrong as the development was only part of the pact agreed upon by stakeholders in the Kaduna North Constituency

Reacting to reports that he demanded refunds from delegates after allegedly giving each N2 million with a promise of an additional N1.5 million after getting the ticket, Adam justified his action, saying “there was nothing dramatic about the request, and it is unfortunate the media has been purporting it as such”.

According to him, there was an agreement between the delegates and stakeholders in the constituency prior to the primary election that those not favoured by the outcome of the election should be refunded.

“Delegates themselves are aware of the directives given by the major stakeholders of the PDP in the Kaduna North constituency, that any sums given to delegates by various aspirants for their support should be returned to those unsuccessful in their primary elections.

“This was done to encourage delegates to vote for the aspirants based on their qualities and not just their perceived spending power and to hold them accountable for the candidates they put forth.

“As a mark of respect for that agreement, some delegates in the Kaduna North constituency started to reach out to the unsuccessful State House of Assembly aspirants whose elections were held before ours, followed by my fellow contender, Shehu Usman ABG and I.

“Therefore, I am not acting in isolation or making any ludicrous demands. I take their decision in good faith and will continue to labour with the PDP and do all my best to protect its good fortunes”.