By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe has withdrawn from the governorship race under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Abaribe announced his withdrawal in a statement, cited the use of only imaginary ad hoc delegates to the exclusion of the party’s statutory delegates as reason for not taking part in the election.
Also the Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Ude oko-chukwu described the delegate list as a scam, skewed to actualise a predetermined objective.
Professor Uche Ikonne won the party’s primary in the state.
He polled a total number of 468 to defeat Chief Lucky Igbokwe who came a distance second with 45 votes, while Mrs Ezenwanyi Jonah got five votes
The former National Vice-Chairman of the party (South-South) and Chairman, Electoral Committee, Emmanuel Ogidi confirmed the withdrawal of four Lagos State aspirants to newsmen at the venue of the event on Wednesday.
According to Ogidi, four aspirants, who backed down from the race in the interest of party stability and they included Jim Kamal, Adedeji Doherty, Rhodes Gbadebo, and Ade Dosumu.
Olajide Adediran emerged the winner of the primary. Of the 709 accredited delegates, Adediran got 679 votes as against a paltry 20 votes garnered by his opponent, David Kolawole-Vaughan; while 10 votes were void.