Cracks in Borno PDP as faction says guber candidate ‘can’t defeat’ APC flag bearer

A coalition known as Yerwa-Oodua says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno has no candidates for the 2019 governorship and central senatorial district polls.

The group is a collective of PDP members from Borno who live in Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states.

They made their position known during a press conference held on Sunday at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos.

Bakura Goni-Makinta, chairman of the group, and his secretary, Mustapha Mustapha, said Mohammed Wakil, former minister of state for power, and Bukar Kachallah, former speaker of the state assembly, are the legitimate PDP governorship and Borno central senatorial candidates respectively.

They urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the ruling of a federal high court in Maiduguri which recognised Usman Baderi as the legitimate PDP state chairman.

Both Kachallah and Wakil emerged under the Baderi-led faction of Borno PDP.

They said: “Ahead of the 2019 general election, the PDP in Borno State does currently has no valid candidates particularly for the Governorship and Borno Central senatorial election until ongoing court appeal cases between the two factions of the party are determined in weeks to come.

“Notwithstanding publication of the names of Alhaji Mohammed Imam for the governorship and Senator Mohammed Abba Aji for the Borno Central senatorial election by the INEC, the two persons are not valid candidates because their primaries were conducted by an unlawful state executive committee under the so-called chairmanship of Alhaji Zannah Gaddama whereas a federal high court in Maiduguri has two months ago delivered a judgment clearly recognising that the valid state executives of the PDP in Borno State are those under Alhaji Usman Baderi as state chairman.”

“Based on its lawful recognition by the federal high court in Maiduguri, the PDP state executives under Usman Baderi’s leadership has since held its credible primary elections and has produced the former Minister of state for power, Mohammed Wakil as PDP governorship candidate in Borno State and a former speaker in the Borno State House of Assembly, Alhaji Bukar Kachallah as the PDP candidate for Borno Central senatorial election.

“We are very optimistic that very soon, the court will in reaffirming it’s earlier judgment, give an order to the INEC to uphold the names of Alhaji Mohammed Wakil as our governorship and Bukar Kachallah for the Borno Central senatorial election as our candidates elected from lawful primary elections.”

The group said the PDP has no chance ahead of the governorship and the senate race, noting that Mohammed Imam, who is in the list of candidates published by INEC, lacks the “pedigree to challenge the APC governorship candidate who is a very popular professor with known records of deep involvement in the rebuilding of many communities destroyed by Boko Haram in about 20 local government areas of Borno state”.

Babagana Umara-Zulum is the governorship candidate of the APC.

The group said the APC candidates will be “contesting unopposed unless we do everything possible to accelerate our case and get the court to order INEC to uphold candidates from primary elections conducted by the lawful state executives”.