2023: PDP conducts fresh primaries for House of Reps in Badagry, previous loser declared winner with landslide

The  Lagos State chapter of the  PDP  has again, held primaries to elect its flag bearer for the 2023 House of Representatives election in the Badagry Constituency.

Recalls that the party on Sunday, May 22,  held a primary election,  where Mr  Olayemi Toviho was declared winner of its ticket for the Badagry federal constituency.

However, in fresh primaries on Tuesday, the PDP  declared Mr Adekunle Lebile as its candidate for the Badagry federal constituency.

Declaring the result, the Returning Officer, Mr Jamiu Ibrahim said Lebile scored 30 out of 32 votes cast to defeat  Toviho who did not get a single vote.

“The remaining two delegates did not vote for any aspirant.

“I hereby pronounce Adekunle Lebile,  winner of the primary held on May 24 in Badagry federal constituency by the power vested on me.

“Hence, he is now the candidate for the Badagry federal constituency for the PDP, haven scored the highest number of votes,” he said.

Reacting to the development, Mrs Bidemi Akojenu, the Chairman of PDP in Badagry said after the meeting held by the executive of the party on Sunday, she had been mandated to conduct another primary election.

Also speaking, Lebile said the party had decided to conduct fresh primaries to nullify the previous one.

“As you can see, there is presence of security agencies and INEC officials from both state and federal levels.

“The party has agreed to share the posts and that’s why we have been permitted to use the PDP LGA secretariat in Badagry for the election.

“This is the stand of the party executive and we have complied with it,” he said.

Mr Johnson Avoseh, the PDP electoral officer, who declared the result of the primary election held on Sunday, said that Toviho scored 31 out of 32 votes cast to defeat Mr Labile, who scored one vote.

Recall that the Lagos state chapter of the PDP had urged the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to cancel the House of Assembly and House of Representatives primaries slated for Sunday in Lagos.

The PDP Chairman in Lagos State, Mr Philips Aivoji, made the call at a news conference he addressed alongside other state executives of the party, governorship aspirants and party leaders in Ikeja.

He alleged the ad-hoc delegates’ list brought by the electoral committees for both primaries had been compromised.