Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has cleared the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, Bayelsa State deputy governor, John Jonah, and former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Power, Godknows Igali for the September 3 governorship primary in the state.
Also cleared for the governorship primary were the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kemela Okara, Senator Douye Diri and Fred Agbedi, Paulker Emmanuel among others. In all, a total of 21 aspirants were cleared for the Bayelsa PDP primary.
For Kogi State, 13 aspirants, including the former governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada, Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Dino Melaye, Abubakar Ibrahim, who is the son of a former governor of the state, Idris Ibrahim, were cleared for the gubernatorial primary also scheduled for September 3.
Speaking at the issuance of clearance certificates to the 34 aspirants, on Wednesday, the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, assured them that the party would be neutral in the contest, as there was no preferred candidate.
Secondus urged the governorship hopefuls not to rely on any party leader, not even members of the National Working Committee (NWC) in their quest to clinch the PDP ticket for the November 16 governorship polls.
He admonished them to reach out to the delegates, noting that it is only the delegates would determine who won the PDP nomination in the forthcoming Bayelsa and Kogi gubernatorial polls.
“Go and work on the delegates. They are the ones that will elect you as candidate, no one else, not even members of the NWC.
“All I can assure you is that we are going to conduct free, fair and transparent primaries in Kogi and Bayelsa states,” the PDP chairman stated.
Meanwhile, Alaibe has promised to recreate Bayelsa into a regenerative and sustainable economy that would thrive outside oil, if he emerged the governor.
In a statement by the administrative secretary of the Alaibe Campaign Organisation, Seiyefa Brisibe, the former NDDC boss said he was in the governorship contest with a wealth of experience garnered his in both the public and private sectors.