The PDP National Assembly screening committee sitting in Lokoja yesterday 27th April, 2022 screened four aspirants from Kogi East: Issac Alfa, Ubolo Okpanachi, Aminu Suleiman and Victor Adoji.
The result of the screening made public in Lokoja today 28th April, showed that Ubolo Okpanachi and Aminu Suleiman Abubakar were not cleared for various improprieties.
According to the results, Aminu Suleiman Abubakar was not cleared because he was not known to be a registered voter in Kogi East.
While Ubolo Itodo Okpanachi was not cleared because of his involvement in anti-party activities and plethora of other petitions challenging his legibility to contest.
What are the far-reaching consequences of these actions?
Looking at these two aspirants as they stand at the moment, if this outcome of the screening is not quashed by the screening appeals committee, the grounds on which they’re found wanting is sufficient enough to disqualify them from participating in the party primaries.
For Aminu Suleiman Abubakar, the fact that he’s not legible to vote or take part in the election in the senatorial district, automatically forecloses his benefiting from any vote that would be casted in the district, especially the one that he’s supposed to be a direct beneficiary.
Elder Ubolo’s reason (s) of not being cleared seems even more gravious, being hinged on anti-party activities.
He was known to have left the PDP for the ruling APC, even confirmed to be an appointee of the APC.
The Constitution of the PDP 2017, as amended allow for members who defected from the party to return. However, for such returning member to be legible to contest any elective office on the platform of the party, they are certain conditions that he must fulfill.
This conditions are properly spelt out in Chapter 2, Part 1, subsections 16 and 17, which has to do with the procedures for rejoining the party, status of a decampee,and other membership related matter.
Implications for the PDP
For whatever merits or otherwise that is in the non clearance of this 2 aspirants, the consequences goes beyond affecting the aspirants alone.
With these reasons and grounds for non clearance of these aspirants given by a committee set up by the party it self, it means should the aspirants be cleared later by the appeals panel and subsequently goes ahead to win the primaries, it would mount to given other parties grounds for future letigation against the PDP.
For now a whole lot of legal questions have been thrown up against these two aspirants, can the PDP afford to put itself in a precarious position in the coming senatorial election in Kogi East?
Only time and time shall tell.
