A PDP national chairmanship aspirant, Raymond Dokpesi, has described the 2017 Elective National Convention of the party as a charade.
He hinged his argument on the distribution of ‘Unity List’ to delegates at Eagles Square Abuja – venue of the event.
The list, which contained the names of contestants to be voted for across the various national offices, was said to have been endorsed by 11 governors.
As of the time of filing this report, voting has ended and sorting is about to commence.
Dokpesi told newsmen at the convention ground that the process of voting has been rigged, following the distribution of Unity List containing names of candidates believed to have won elections into various national leadership positions in the party.
He explained that the 21 names of candidates contained in the list appeared on the ballot papers as number one.
He said he had lodged complaints to the PDP Electoral Committee Chairman, Gabriel Suswam and Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Ifeanyi Okowa, whom he alleged, confirmed that they had seen the list with some delegates but were overwhelmed.
Dokpesi, however, called on the party leadership to urgently rectify the problem before it becomes another major challenge in the party, ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He said: “I met Suswam and he told me that he was taking necessary steps; that he collected the Unity List from a governor.
“I also approached Governor Okowa. He too was helpless. The names you have here is not unlikely to be what you find announced at the end of the day.
“The process is seriously marred. It is not free and fair. It is a charade”.
In a swift reaction, a member of the Publicity Sub-committee and former Information Minister, John Odey, challenged the authenticity of the list since it was not signed.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
