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Segun Adewale, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Lagos State, has urged the national leadership of the party to wade into the alleged move by some individuals in the party to subvert the true will of members, as expressed through the September 25 ward congress in the state.
Adewale, who is also a zonal leader of PDP in Southwest, stated this in an interview with journalists at the weekend. He said that Lagos PDP might be heading for a collision course if required remedy is not availed, as the just concluded ward congress harbours lots of manipulations and inimical twist of electoral process.
He alleged that the former chairman of the party in Lagos, Adedeji Doherty induced the electoral committee to alter the results as garnered from electoral officers across the 20 local governments where the congress was held.
Adewale warned that the future was bleak if such a corrupt model still sufficed, as nothing good should be expected if it was not halted.
“In my ward, my opposition had six wards while I had five wards; they still had the majority out of the eleven wards and I let go just to give peace a chance.
“The fallout of the PDP ward Congress in Lagos State is heart-breaking, as I was privy to a petition by one of the electoral officers who claimed the results in Abuja was a clear departure from what he submitted,” Adewale said.
The PDP chieftain added that the result imputed into the computer data at the headquarter is at variance with the result from the field signed by the appointed LGAs electoral officers for Lagos State Ward Congresses.
“I coordinated the EOs and I have back up results from the field signed by the EOs. It is important you look into these serious allegations.”
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Adewale stressed that he was not initially bothered that Doherty had the majority through manipulations and all forms of pranks, adding that it was surprising that they still went behind to subvert the true reflection of the process and altered the result.
“The electoral officers for the 20 local governments submitted their results to the electoral committee and Doherty and his cohorts changed the results midway to Abuja.
“If they want peace to reign, the results as submitted to the electoral committee by the E.O’s in the 20 LGA should not be changed; otherwise there will be problems again in Lagos.
“That will then put paid to the aspiration of any one contesting in Lagos, there will be no need for them to vie as well, and the Presidential candidate that will emerge should also not expect anything from Lagos if we are divided again.
“Initially Chief Bode George is the one we normally blame for all the congress woes since 1999 but this time around he didn’t get involved,” he said.
“He allowed the elections to run seamlessly, even some of his people were cheated and he did not even induce the officials to curry favours nor did they go to the tribunal,” he further alleged.
According to him, “I am personally perturbed and might have no other choice than to sue them. I will just have to recall the signed results submitted originally by the officer and compare it with the ones submitted in Abuja.
“Then I will sue the Secretary of the committee, Sunday Onoriode, who came to supervise the election for fraud; it is wrong for them to tread that path.”
