Setback for Sheriff as police seal off venue of factional PDP primary in Edo

Police have cordoned off the entrance to stadium road by Akenzua junction with vehicles and the gates to the stadium locked.

The Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium is the scheduled venue for the planned governorship primary of Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo.

Mathew Iduoriyekemwen and Johnson Agbonayinma are the two aspirants for the governorship ticket.

Commenting on the cordoning of the stadium, Chris Eziken, commissioner of police in the state, said: “I am not INEC. It is too early to find out if the primary will hold or not. You can call me back in the afternoon to find out.”

Asked if INEC would witness the exercise, Sam Olumekun, the resident electoral commissioner in the state, said only the national headquarters could comment on the matter.

A member of the caretaker committee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the primary would be held as scheduled but that they were looking for another venue.

The Ahmed Markafi-led PDP faction held its primary on June 20 at the same venue which produced Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its candidate.

Ize-Iyamu defeated Iduoriyekemwen and Solomon Edebiri at the primary, but Iduoriyekemwen later joined the Modu Sheriff faction after he faulted the process of the primary.