The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has technically disqualified former President Goodluck Jonathan, members of the National Assembly, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), and other statutory delegates from participating in the party primaries.
This occurs as the PDP stipulated that only the three ad-hoc delegates per ward, elected at the ward congresses and one national delegate per local government, elected at the local government area congresses, are qualified to vote in all its primaries and national convention scheduled to start tomorrow, Sunday.
The PDP National Organising Secretary Umar Bature said in a statement that it was in adherence to section 84(8) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The Act, which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 25 this year, states that “delegates to vote at the indirect primaries and national conventions of political parties to elect candidates for elections shall be those democratically elected for that purpose only.”
The National Assembly has amended the section to include statutory delegates, and transmitted same to President Buhari for his assent, but the president is yet to approve as at yesterday,Friday May 20, which was the last working day before the commencement PDP primaries.
Bature further announced the rescheduling of the primaries with the state House of Assembly and House of Representatives holding on Saturday, May 21.
While the House of Assembly primary holds in all the states of the country, between 8:00 am to 12 noon, that of the House of Representatives would hold from 2:00 pm.
“All aspirants, critical stakeholders, leaders and teeming members of our party should please take note,” Bature stated.
PDP had earlier scheduled the senatorial and governorship primaries for Monday, May 22 and Wednesday, May 25 respectively.