By DADA AYOKHAI
Few days after Senator Francis Alimikhena dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC), he suddenly “resurrected” at the Auchi public field, Etsako West local government venue of the governor Godwin Obaseki’s faction’s repeat emergency primary
The primary saw emergence of senator Alimikhena representing Edo north senatorial district at the National Assembly, as the faction’s Edo north PDP senatorial candidate .
The repeat parallel primary took the PDP members in the district as well as the public by surprise.
Senator Alimikhena and his supporters had tactically “withdrew” from the APC primary which produced Comrade Adams Oshiomole, on the strength of the argument that the exercise was marred by irregularities and injustice.
Earlier, it was learnt that a letter allegedly arrived from the national secretariat of the party and signed by its National Organising Secretary, directing that a repeat senatorial primary be held in the district.
Meanwhile, the crowd at the primary venue was scanty, and consists of Sen Alimikhena and a handful of party members, who are Obaseki’sdloyalists, for the coronation ceremony of the incumbent senator as the PDP unopposed candidate for the Edo North Senate election
The intrigues that led to the sudden re-emergence of Sen Alimikhena also claimed Mrs Victoria Adelokun who won the parallel primary organised by the Obaseki faction on May 23.
She was said to have voluntarily withdrawn from the race to pave the way for Sen Alimikhena.
Meanwhile, the PDP senatorial candidate from the old PDP camp Hon Paschal Ugbomeh has protested against the primary he described as “shenanigans”going on in the party.
Ugbomeh who issued a press statement insisted that he has neither withdrawn from the race nor “surrendered” his freely given mandate.
According to the statement, Hon Ugbomeh said he will be on the ballot paper at the 2023 National Assembly elections.
