Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Appeal panel of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cleared the four aspirants earlier disqualified by the screening panel for the Bayelsa State Central senatorial ticket.
The screening panel had disqualified the majority leader of the House of Assembly, Monday Obolo Bobuo, former zonal youth leader and former director general of the state Geographical Integrated Services (BGIS), Igo Goin, former secretary to the state government, Gideon Ekeuwei, and former commissioner for works, Charles Ambawei.
Protests had rocked Yenagoa, the state capital, over what the supporters of the disqualified aspirants described as ‘indiscrimination disqualification’ of qualified aspirants to pave way for the alleged emergence of former PDP state chairman, Moses Cleopas, as the sole candidate.
The protesters had accused former governor Seriake Dickson of influencing the screening panel to disqualify other aspirants so that he can honour an alleged pact with Cleopas for supporting the emergence of Douye Diri as PDP governorship candidate in September 5, 2019.
According to findings, the threat by the protesters to withdraw support for PDP ahead the October 31 senatorial election forced the party to clear the aspirants.
The screening appeal panel headed by Abbas Adamu, cleared the disqualified aspirants to contest the party’s primary.
The report submitted to the state chapter of the party, through the Secretary, Gesiye Isowo, dismissed all points of disqualification raised by the screening panel.
Isowo, who received the report from the panel, said the five aspirants will now participate in the primary scheduled for the weekend.