PDP Primary: Delegates Go Into Hiding

Majority of the over 700 delegates that participated in last Saturday’s Edo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Primary have gone into hiding.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the delegates went into hiding following threats by some of the defeated aspirants who felt betrayed by their action.

Investigations revealed that during their electioneering campaigns in the wards, most of the aspirants gave huge sums of money to the delegates to get their support on the day of the primary.

Not only that, some of the prominent delegates, it was learnt, went as far as giving the aspirants the impression that they lead a ‘cell of delegates.’ The aspirants fell for this trick and doled out large sums of money to such prominent delegates for onward transmission to their ‘cell members.’

The money ranged from N50,000 to $3,000 per delegate and in some instances $30,000 for members of a ‘cell.’

A few hours to the primary, the aspirants and their agents made last minute calls to some of the delegates to get their reassurance that they would not renege on their promise.

But to the shock of some of the aspirants, most of the delegates toe the party line while voting.

This act of ‘betrayal’ must have informed why some of the aspirants like Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon, Professor Julius Ihonvbere and Senator Oserheimen Osunbor stormed out of the Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin where the primary was held as soon as the result was announced.

As soon as some of the defeated aspirants got home, they called some of the delegates threatening fire and brimstone and demanding for a refund of the money they gave to them.

P.M.NEWS also gathered that some of the aggrieved aspirants have sent their agents to the different areas to locate some of the delegates and retrieve part of the money they collected.

—Isaac Olamikan, Benin