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PDP BAYELSA GOV PRIMARIES: I’m disappointed, but we must move on —Alaibe

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It’s no crime to leave PDP and return, group cautions Dickson, others over Timi Alaibe

One of the aspirants that lost the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries in Bayelsa State, Ndutimi Alaibe, has said he was disappointed with the process and that its outcome was ‘completely unacceptable.’

Alaibe, a former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), however, told his supporters that they must move on and “must take no further steps that would merely equalize the disregard for the same constitution.”

He had claimed that the process of the primaries was marred with illegalities and was not in conformity with the laid down rules of the PDP Constitution.

Alaibe and other aspirants in the primaries that took place on Tuesday, lost to Senator Douye Diri, a close ally to the state governor, Seriake Dickson.

In a statement, Wednesday night signed by Alaibe and made available to newsmen by his media aide, he expressed disappointment and said he had reservations for the process and its outcome.

Part of the statement read:

“As we are all aware, the election to determine the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the November 16 governorship race in Bayelsa State has been conducted. Even with all the inarguable inherent flaws bordering on crass disrespect for legal procedures and party guidelines, a winner has been declared.

“The delegates, whether coercively or voluntarily have spoken even if their voices do not represent the voice of the people.

“To my supporters and friends, let it be known that no one could have been more disappointed with the outcome of our governorship primary that held on Tuesday, September 3 than me. I know you are disappointed too. But our disappointment is certainly not that the outcome was against our wish to obtain the mandate of our great party, but because of the obviously flawed process that led to the primary.

“We all know that the basis of our party is the constitution in addition to the rules and regulations that we set for ourselves from inception in 1998, and the fact our party has become reformed. Consequently, for anything to be legitimate, it must derive authority from our constitution. Unfortunately, certain aspects of the processes of the just concluded primary election rudely violated the provisions of our party constitution.

“For instance, by the provisions of Section 50(1) of the Party Constitution, the authority to formulate guidelines for all matters relating to the governorship primary is vested in the NEC of the PDP. The election of Ad-Hoc delegates is one of such matters. Strangely, the panel set up to undertake this exercise simply imposed on us a list of electoral and returning officers prepared by the state officers of the party who are avowed members of the orchestrated Restoration Team. Thus, the process was deliberately handed over to the Restoration Team. Our protest was ignored.

READ ALSO: BAYELSA: David Lyon clinches APC governorship ticket

“This issue of election of local council chairmen and councillors that were allowed to participate in the primary despite a court order was another setback. You would recall that we protested to the appropriate organs of the party. As it turned out, the national leadership of the party would seem not to have been persuaded by the strength of our argument for obedience to the supreme law of our great party. Even the powers that be in state unsuccessfully challenged the superiority of our position in court.

“While we must put on record our disappointment with this willful disregard to our constitution, we must take no further steps that would merely equalize the disregard for the same constitution. In the circumstances, we express our serious reservations about the process that led to the primary for its unconstitutionality and its outcome completely unacceptable because of its illegitimacy. However; we must move on.”

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