Sheriff presents certificate of return to own Edo candidate

Ali Modu Sheriff, factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has vowed to submit the name of Matthew Iduoriyekwemwen to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as PDP candidate for Edo governorship election.

Sheriff made this known on Tuesday after presenting a certificate of return to Iduoriyekwemwen ahead of the September 10 election.

He said he would rely on the judgment of Okon Abang, a justice of the federal high court, Abuja,‎ to send the name of his faction’s candidate to INEC.

“It is clear that from Abuja high court that INEC is obliged to accept the candidate we are to present,” he said.

“You know ideally, most of our officials have travelled for Sallah. We need to do this because the first working day we are going to submit our candidate’s form to INEC.

“I have to stay behind to do some of the things so as to ensure that the forms are submitted after the Sallah break.”

Ahmed Gulak, secretary of the committee that conducted the Sheriff-led PDP primary in Edo, said 677 delegates were accredited for the exercise, while 502 delegates voted.

Gulak said of the accredited 502 delegates, 481 voted for Iduoriyekwemwen, after his challenger stepped down.

Iduoriyekwemwen, who spoke after the primary, promised to embark on grassroots campaign ahead of the election, and pledged to ensure that the PDP comes back stronger after the governorship election.

‎He named a former PDP woman leader in the state, Herberta Okonofua-Ayo,‎ as his running mate and dismissed insinuation of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

On June 30, Abang affirmed Sheriff as the PDP national chairman, and ordered INEC to recognise Sheriff’s candidate for Edo election.

But on Monday, a federal high court in Port Harcourt held that the May 21 national convention that removed Sheriff and constituted the Makarfi-led national caretaker committee was duly constituted.

The court also declared that the dissolution of the national working committee and the national executive committee by that convention was valid.

Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a pastor, emerged as the candidate of the Ahmed Makarfi committee.

Ize-Iyamu flagged-off his campaign earlier on Tuesday, and Udom Emmanuel, governor of Akwa Ibom state; Tony Anenih, a former member of PDP board of trustees, Lucky Igbenedion, former Edo governor, were among the dignitaries who witnessed the ceremony in Benin, the state capital.