Kunle Adelabu
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday, May 22,2022, took to the streets in Imota to prorest against the adoption of delegate system for primary elections.
The system, according to report, allows few party men and women that are elected at a Congress to be the ones that will vote in the primary elections.
There has been agitations from parties, including the All Proreesives Congress (APC), against the adoption of the new system instead of the old one where all the local government and ward executives or entire party members are usually involved in the process.
This time around, and in compliance with the electoral law, few delegates were first elected at Congresses by various parties to determine delegates that are eligible to vote at primary elections.
The protesters, who staged their protest at the Admos Hotel in Imota, venue of the Ikorodu Constituency II primary election, later took to the streets and marched to the Ranodu Palace in Imota, to present their grievances.
Some party members are of the few that the elected delegates are not representative enough while also adding that the outcome of such primary election cannot reflect the decision of the majority members of the party.
It was argued that the few elected delegates were imposed by party leaders.
The most popular reason for the opposition is that the system denies most party members patronages from aspirants during campaign and primary election.
A PDP Ward Chairman who was part of the protest, speaking with THE IMPACT in Ikorodu on Monday, said that the delegate system allowed few persons to hijack the party.
“We are opposed to the system because it is not Democratic at all and it allows few people to hijack and control our party that we have been labouring for since”, he said.
“So, there was no election in Constituency II because we insisted that the election will not hold except we are all allowed to vote for our choice aspirants and not watching few delegates to do that for us”.
Another PDP member who spoke with our reporter, said that they are not even after the money from any aspirant but that they should be allowed to choose their candidates.
“It’s not about the money in actual fact, we don’t want their money but to partake in the process of choosing our party’s candidates”, he said.
“They are going to represent all of us and not few and to that extent, we must be involved”.
A woman, who also participated in the protest, was blunt when she told our reporter that she is opposed to the new system because that will not enable us to get money from the process.
“Why are we in politics if not for money?”, she asked rhetorically.
“This is the time that we can make our money from them. Most of them did not know how we built the party, they will just come and get our mandate and use it to take care of themselves and their family.
“We must all be allowed to vote”, she demanded.
