Protests Mar PDP Primaries In Delta As Lawmaker’s Aide Shoots Constituent

Last Saturday’s primaries to select House of
Assembly candidates for the Peoples
Democracy Party (PDP) in Delta State
turned bloody at Aviara, Isoko south local
government area of the state, when one S.K Hezekiah, an aide and relative of the deputy
Majority Leader in the state legislature, Johnson
Erijo, allegedly shot a female constituent.
Some party members accused Mr. Erijo of stocking
eight pump action guns in the trunk of one of his
vehicles in anticipation of protests over the way the
primaries were conducted in the legislator’s
hometown of Aviara. “No opposition was allowed
at all,” according to one source, adding that Mr.
Erijo, who is also the house committee chairman on
information, was determined to kill in order to have
his way.
The source and two other eyewitnesses said Mr.
Erijo’s relative brought out a pump action gun and
started shooting sporadically. “In the process, a
female constituent was hit several times,” said one
source.
“It was a terrible situation at Aviara. So many
people would have lost their lives all because of
power,” said another source. He said the injured
woman was an indigene of Olomoro.
“If in ordinary primaries we have started shooting
people what will happen during the main elections
in 2015?” another source wondered. He added that
the victim of the shooting was in critical condition
and had been rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Confirming the incident, a top PDP executive
member from Isoko South local government area,
who sought anonymity, insisted that the shooting
injury was not intentional, arguing that nobody was
targeted.
“The incident happened at the residence of the
lawmaker during a jubilation party after the
primaries, but it was not intentional. I was there
live.” He added, however, that he and others were
alarmed that dangerous weapons were being
shipped into Isoko south for the 2015 election.
Calls and messages sent to Mr. Erijo’s mobile phone
number were not answered.
Meanwhile, numerous protests trailed the primaries
conducted throughout the state, with many
protesters alleging that candidates were imposed and
result sheets hijacked.
An aggrieved executive member of the state PDP
accused Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of
hijacking result sheets throughout the state to ensure
that the candidates he favored were declared
winners. He claimed that Mr. Uduaghan gave
N100 million to members of the panel sent by the
national headquarters of the party to monitor the
assembly primaries.
At Ethiope East Constituency, four aspirants
vying to represent the area in the State House of
Assembly boycotted the primaries owing to the non-
availability of result sheets. The party chairman for
the council, Kings Okpako, and the “electoral
officer” for the election, Alofe Dike who arrived at
the venue about 5:30 p.m., stated that all electoral
officers for the elections were not given result
sheets, only ballot papers. This information angered
one of the aspirants, Blessing Enamuotor.
Visibly angry, Mr. Enamuotor said he had sent a
vehicle that accompanied the entourage of the
electoral officers from Asaba to Isiokolo, alleging
that the electoral officer and his team had branched
off to the Abraka residence of the immediate past
Ethiope East council chairman, Mr.
Oniorode Sunday, where they spent about 20
minutes having delivered the result sheets to the
former council boss.
At Uvwie local government area, the town hall
slated for the primaries was under lock and key
when our correspondent. Our correspondent later
learned that the delegates were assembled at the
local government council headquarters at Effurrun.
The chairman of the council, Henry Baro, told
reporters that the venue was changed to forestall
any form of violence and that the owners of the
town hall had said they did not want any political
event to hold there for fear of violence erupting.
In Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South local
government council, protests erupted following what
the people described as the fraudulent means used to
award the party ticket to a female aspirant
perceived to be the state governor’s candidate.
On Thursday night, gunmen attacked Godspower
Etih, an aspirant for the House of Assembly seat in
Warri Constituency II. His supporters accused a
fellow aspirant of masterminding the armed attack
that happened about 9 p.m. when Mr. Etih visited
his family house off Lower Erejuwa Road in
Warri. Mr. Etih was still critically ill in a private
hospital as the primaries got underway on
Saturday.
At Oleh in Isoko south local government area, Mr.
Obi Eneruvie, supporters of the former House of
Assembly member, Benjamin Efekodo, manhandled
the chairman of the PDP in the local government
area. The intervention of security agents stopped the
situation from turning tragic, according to
eyewitnesses. A former commissioner for special
infrastructures in the state, Ms. Orezi Esievor,
was declared the winner of the primary.
Meanwhile, three of the four aspirants in Ethiope
East have warned against the announcement of any
result, insisting that there were no PDP
primaries in the council area. In a petition titled
“Abortion of House of Assembly Primaries
Election in Ethiope East of Delta State for Lack
of Availability of Result Sheets,” addressed to
Bernard Ochepa, the chairman of the House of
Assembly Primaries Committee, the candidates
called for a new date for the primaries election.
The petitions was signed by the incumbent
lawmaker representing the constituency, Joseph
Oshevire, Blessing Enamuotor, and Godwin
Demide, on behalf of themselves and all delegates.
The petition claimed that the primaries had been
hijacked.
“This is to draw your attention to the abortion of
the primaries election in Ethiope East State
Constituency of Delta State. This is as a result of
the admission by the Returning Officer that he did
not come with original of result sheet, which
angered the delegates calling for the postponement of
the primary election upon production of a result
sheet for the election.
“We call on you to fix another date for the
primary election to be supervised by credible
personnel with complete materials including an
original result sheet in order for Ethiope East
PDP members to elect a candidate of their choice.
Take note that should this honest request be ignored,
Ethiope East will again fall into the hands of
opposition, a repeat of what happened in 2011
primary election that resulted to mass exodus of
PDP members from the party to give victory to
the opposition party.”
The petition was copied to the national chairman of
the PDP, the national secretary of the PDP, the
national organizing secretary, Governor Uduaghan,
the state’s deputy governor, the speaker of the state
legislature, the member representing the constituency
in the House of Representatives, the state chairman
of the PDP, and the chairman of Ethiope East
local government.