The list of the senatorial candidates eligible to contest next month’s election recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised huge concerns back home in Kwara State on who between Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Senator Rafiu Ibrahim will finally get the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the race. HEAD POLITICS, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM examines the issue.
Penultimate Thursday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ruptured the political firmament of the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with its list of ‘eligible’ candidates released to contest the Kwara South senatorial election.
The list, coming on the last day of the 45 days grace period approved by the constitution for parties to substitute candidate(s) for the February 28 senatorial contest generated serious concerns among party stakeholders with what party leaders described as ‘curious appearance’ of the name of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed as the PDP’s candidate for the election.
Since the development, many posers have been raised by the PDP stakeholders on the action of the electoral umpire. Questions such as whether the local chapter of the party did the needful and if the national headquarters made the necessarily follow up have dominated the political space. The puzzles have also been graduated to whether the party can swap the name of Governor Ahmed for Senator Rafiu Ibrahim at this stage and whether INEC is really playing the games according to the rules in the present circumstance.
For INEC, the body vested with the statutory rights to conduct the election, the deal as to who will represent the PDP on the ballot on February 16, 2918 is already concluded with the release of its list that still has the name of the Governor. But why was this so despite all the noise that has surrounded the issue within the fold of the PDP? For this, many of the apologists that sailed with the party on this narrative argued that the party as politically experienced as it is will not be so politically naive to fall for such booty trap considering the political cold war going on between it’s party and INEC which is being perceived as an arm of the ruling APC government.
For INEC, the PDP has ‘closed’ its case on the issue of its senatorial candidate for the Kwara South Senatorial contest and only death can make the commission effect any change to the list it published that still has the name of Governor Ahmed.
According to the INEC director of Publicity and Voters Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, the commission is already home and dry as far as the situation in Kwara State is concerned regarding senatorial election. Speaking with National Pilot from INEC headquarters in Abuja in a telephone chat on the issue, the party’s national scribe insisted the commission will not release another list on the issue adding that the Thursday’s list was final except death to any of the candidates occurs. Uzzi also faulted the process of withdrawal.
‘There is a time for withdrawal and if you don’t withdraw with the process known to law, your name will be there. If the Governor’s name is still on the list, it means he didn’t withdraw with the correct procedure or within the stipulated time. We have not issued any list before and this is the first and the final list of candidates for the election. With this, there is no more room for substitution’, he added. Another INEC Chieftain and National Commissioner of the Commission, Festus Okoye also corroborated Uzzi’s position last week. In a Channels television programme, Politics Today monitored in Ilorin, Okoye who is also the chairman, Committee on Information and Voter Education of INEC said only death can force a change in the list that has been released by INEC at this stage as regards the National Assembly elections in Kwara State.
But to the Kwara State chapter of the PDP, the position of INEC that Gov Ahmed is now the ‘final’ senatorial candidate that will stand for the election is nothing but gibberish.
The party noted that contrary to the publication by INEC, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim remains its candidate for the contest.
In a statement by its state Publicity Secretary, Tunde Ashaolu, a copy of which was made available to this medium, the PDP said INEC erroneously published the name of the Governor who has ‘voluntarily withdrew from the senatorial race’.
The party said following the decision, the party subsequently nominated Senator Rafiu Ibrahim and ‘properly notified the electoral body through the national leadership of the PDP.
According to the PDP, ‘Though INEC set November 17, 2018 as the deadline for candidates for the presidency or National Assembly to withdraw themselves, Section 35 of the Electoral Act however, stipulates that “a candidate who wishes to withdraw his candidature can do so by notice in writing to his political party who in turn notifies the Commission of such withdrawal not later than 45 days to the election. The party shall then be allowed to nominate another candidate.
‘Consequently, when Governor Ahmed voluntarily withdrew from the race, the State chapter of the PDP immediately nominated Senator Rafiu Ibrahim and informed the national leadership of the party about the development.
“In compliance with the provision of the electoral act, the national headquarters of the PDP duly notified INEC of Governor Ahmed’s withdrawal and his subsequent replacement with Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, which was within the stipulated time frame’, the PDP added. It urged all party members, supporters and the general public to know that Senator Rafiu Ibrahim remains PDP flag bearer for the Kwara South senatorial election adding that there is absolutely no cause for alarm.’
Similarly, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed affirmed that Senator Rafiu Ibrahim remains the PDP candidate for Kwara south senatorial district election. At a PDP campaign rally on Saturday at Idofin Odo-Ase in Oke-Ero local government area of the state, the Governor said INEC published his (Ahmed’s) name in error in the said list and openly campaigned for Senator Rafiu Ibrahim. According to ‘Maigida’, the people must not entertain any fear about the development, assuring them that the mix up would be corrected ‘the way we want it’
To be sure, there are already some party supporters who have painted INEC with the brush of prejudice in the unfolding scenario accusing the electoral body of suspicious and sinister motive in all of these. But the Kwara State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Garba Attairu Madami denied such allegation insisting that the time for the substitution by the PDP was not within the timeframe.
With the unfolding situation and grandstanding from the two parties, that is INEC and PDP, it is obvious that the court will be the final a better on this issue that is threatening to rob the PDP of one of its finest representatives in the National Assembly after the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki. In line with that school of thought, the PDP through its state chairman Alhaji Kola Shittu told this medium that it will use the instrumentality of the court to resolve the issue and compel INEC to publish the name of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim instead of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.
For now, all eyes will be shifted to the courts to properly interpret section 35 of the Electoral Act and the stand of INEC that November 17, 2018 remains the deadline for candidates for the presidency or National Assembly to withdraw from the race.
