Kogi PDP Governorship Aspirants Reject Delegates List, Threaten Crisis

Leading governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi, including Mr Yomi Awoniyi and Dr Bolufemi Rotimi, have rejected the delegates list for the party's primary election, scheduled for Sunday. The aspirants accused the party's leadership of manipulating the list to favour a particular candidate, alleging that 158 legitimately-elected delegates had been replaced with unknown individuals. The crisis threatens to escalate into a grave one, with the aspirants warning that the consequences of ignoring the authentic delegates list will be severe.

Key Takeaways:

The Kogi PDP governorship aspirants have rejected the delegates list for the party's primary election, citing manipulation by the party's leadership.
Mr Yomi Awoniyi, a former deputy governor and governorship aspirant, presented photocopies of the authentic delegates list, which had been certified by INEC as the result of the March 29 PDP congress in Kogi.
The authentic delegates list for 21 local government areas and 239 wards across the state had been replaced with unknown individuals, who did not participate in the congress.
Dr Bolufemi Rotimi, another frontline aspirant, warned of grave consequences if the approved delegates list is not used, including total cancellation of the whole process.
Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf, a PDP senatorial candidate for Kogi West, described the manipulated delegates list as a "total shamble and horrible" with the intention to commit fraud.
The crisis threatens to escalate into a grave one, with the aspirants warning that the consequences of ignoring the authentic delegates list will be severe.

Statistics:

158 legitimate delegates were replaced with unknown individuals.
31 names out of 45 delegates were removed and replaced in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.
A total number of 239 wards and 21 local government areas were affected by the manipulated delegates list.

Sources:

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)