From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, has filed a suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking cancellation of the December 9 national elective convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Adedoja is also demanding appropriate compensation for the embarrasment caused him as a result of his exclusion “from participating in the election, resulting to zero score credited to my name, which is now in public domain.”
The former minister , who was a national chairmanship aspirant at the convention, told journalists in Abuja, yesterday, that his name was deliberately excluded from the ballot paper used in the election of the national chairman.
He said: “I went to the convention for the position of national chairman of the party, I paid the necessary nomination fee, obtained and returned the national chairmanship nomination form; I was invited for screening and subsequently screened with a clearance certificate issued to me.
“Surprisingly, on election day, my name was deliberately excluded from the list of national chairmanship contestants posted on the ballot boxes/cubicles, meant for the national chairman of the party, thereby , willfully and unlawfully excluded me from participating in the said election..”
Adedoja said instead of his name, what was listed on the ballot paper was ‘Professor Taoheed Oladoja’. That was not my name. Delegates could not have voted for a name that is non-existent. If my name is not there, it means that there was no election,” he stated.
Adedoja said his exclusion from the ballot paper was responsible for the zero vote, he scored at the convention.
He said when his agent drew the attention of the convention committee chairman and Governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa, to the development, the latter promised to rectify it but he never did.
On the going reconcilatory moves in the part, Adedoja said the committee called him on telephone, last Thursday, that they were on their way to Ibadan and would want to meet with him.
“I told them that I would not be available until Sunday. They never got in touch with me since then,” he added.
Furthermore, the former Minister said even though, he had alongside other aspirants signed a peace accord to accept the outcome of the convention, it was on the condition that the process will be free and fair.