PDP denies knowledge of INEC absence at primaries

The Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday said it was not aware that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission did not monitor its governorship primaries which was held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Saturday.Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prof. Rufai Alkali, said there was no record before the party to show that the commission did not send any of its officials to monitor the exercise as demanded by the 2010 Electoral Act. Alkali was asked to explain whether the refusal of the commission to send officials to monitor the primaries would not affect its outcome. But he said, "We did not know that they were not there at all." When pressed further to give names of officials of the commission that were there if the party had any record to that effect, he said, "What you are doing(asking) is extraneous to what we are discussing today." When asked to give reasons why the Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, and others were disqualified from the exercise, he declined. "Every candidate knew why he was disqualified or screened out. We will not go to the market place to announce that. Those who do not know among them can come to the state secretariat and we will inform them," he said. He said Sylva was still being accorded the respect he deserved as the leader of the party in the state, adding that the party would therefore not engage in any media war with him. Alkali also said it was not true that the party refused to obey a Federal High Court order, which asked it not to conduct the primaries. He said the party did not receive any order to that effect, adding that what the party received "from the court in the suit filed by Governor Timipre Sylva was a motion on notice with an order asking the party to show cause within 72 hours why the preservatory orders sought may not be granted on the return date which is November 22, 2011. "The party immediately complied by filling process showing cause. We wish to restate categorically that we did not defy any court order on Bayelsa."
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