KOGI 2019: Forget automatic ticket, PDP tells Melaye, others

Senator Dino Melaye and other aspirants interested in the Kogi West Senatorial district seat have been told to forget anything as automatic ticket during the coming 2019 general elections.

The state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chapter made this known to all the politicians aspiring to represent the senatorial district in 2019 on Saturday at a meeting of its major stakeholders and party executives in Kogi West.

Melaye had recently left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the PDP and may possibly have been hopeful of getting an automatic ticket from the party.

However, at the meeting held at the residence of Gen. David Jemibewon, a member of the Board of Trustees of the party at Aiyetoro Gbedde, Kogi West stakeholders took a decision to ensure that a level playing field would be granted for all aspirants in free and fair primaries.

While noting that the decision was part of the party’s efforts to discourage impunity and acts possible to generate disaffection amongst its members, the PDP urged all aspirants under its platform to be of good conduct, work and abide by the party’s rules and regulations.

The party also used the opportunity to condemn the recent election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency, which saw a candidate of the APC emerged victory.

READ ALSO: 2019: Ex-APC spokesman and Saraki ally Abdullahi reveals Kwara governorship ambition

The opposition party described the election as a sham, failure, adding that the level of violence recorded during the election was unimaginable.

Accusing Governor Yahaya Belo led government of the state of using political thugs, and security agencies to alter the integrity of the bye-election, the party called on the Federal Government to try and ensure mechanisms that would forestall such experience in future elections.

It said that should the government fails to put such mechanisms in place that electorate may have no choice but to take laws into their hands.

 

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