F there is any political party that the just concluded primaries for for the April general elections has dealt an unkind blow in Delta State, it is the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. At the moment, the battle for the soul of the state is not just between it and its newfound challenger, the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, marshalled by Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, and his armies, but also against aggrieved PDP members on the other side. This is the paradox.

TWO months to the general elections, the two major political parties in Ondo State, Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are battling to put their houses in order following the acrimony that attended their primaries.

LIKE in many states of the country, the parties’ primaries in Akwa Ibom State were riddled by accusations of betrayal, plots of humiliation, scheming and outright denial of tickets to some deserving aspirants. Currently, however the tension that greeted the primaries is no longer mounting as was the case few days to the nominations.

As family, friends and well wishers of the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George, await his return on completion of his prison term on Saturday February 26, Vanguard can exclusively report that the politician regretted how some of his friends deserted him while serving his jail term.

PRIOR to November 2007 when Comrade Adams Oshiomhole became the Governor of Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was always the focus when it comes to primaries of political parties in the state. Now, the action has shifted to Oshiomhole’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). A host of PDP leaders defected to the ACN after the party took over power and it was expected that the primaries of the party would be a tough fight.