Aspirants are hopeful of good outings as the Peoples Democratic Party holds its governorship primary elections across the country on Wednesday (today).
In Oyo State, a former deputy governor of the state, Dr. Azeem Gbolarumi, on Tuesday, said he was confident of winning the party’s ticket.
Gbolarumi, who was deputy to late former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, is the only aspirant challenging Governor Seyi Makinde for the party’s ticket.
The Director-General of Azeem Gbolarumi Governorship Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Majekodunmi Aborode, said in an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday that the ex-deputy governor was ready to contest and win the primary poll.
Aborode said, “We are fully prepared and we are happy with all the preparations put in place by our party, especially the national leadership of our political party.
“We are fully prepared for the contest. Of course, we are confident of victory. But we belong to the same political family and we will like to exercise our political rights. So, we have nothing to fear. Impossibility is nothing if you believe.”
The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Akeem Olatunji, told The PUNCH that the contest would be free, fair and credible.
In Enugu State, a former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo, on Tuesday, said Dr. Peter Mbah, had been endorsed to succeed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Nwobodo said the endorsement was a product of a series of consultations.
But he did not state if Ugwuanyi, who was widely speculated to be supporting Chijioke Edeoga as his successor, and other 14 governorship aspirants who earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support whoever the governor nominated as his successor, were part of the decision to back Mbah.
Nwobodo further disclosed that another aspirant, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has accepted to support Mbah.
He said he held a meeting with a number of the aspirants from Enugu East on how to develop the state.
He said, “From my interaction with a number of them, I was looking for somebody who I think should redevelop Enugu State.
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“As far back as October 2019, I invited Peter Mbah to my house. When he came, I told him to consider running for a position, especially governor. He didn’t give me an answer immediately, but later he came and said he would consider running.
“Tomorrow, people will ask why am I keeping quiet, this is why I’m addressing the media today. I believe anybody who wins the primary tomorrow will be the governor because the PDP is the only party in Enugu State.”
But in a swift reaction, Ekweremadu denied abandoning his governorship ambition to endorse another aspirant.
Ekweremadu, in a statement issued by his campaign organisation, titled, ‘Disregard Ekweremadu’s purported adoption of Peter Mbah’ stated that the purported endorsement was false.
In Rivers State, there were indications on Tuesday that the State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has anointed the state Accountant-General, Fubara Siminayi, to succeed him.
It was gathered that Wike, while presiding over a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt on Monday, insisted that Siminayi would be the party’s candidate.
Many of the governorship aspirants in the state were present at the meeting.
About 15 persons are vying for the ticket.
But the governor’s decision did not go down well with many of those present, including members of his cabinet, as some did not hide their dislike for Wike’s preference.
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