Former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, currently representing Benue North-East Senatorial District, Senator Barnabas Gemade, on Thursday announced his withdrawal from the PDP Senatorial primary election slated for Sunday.
Gemade stated this in a letter dated December 2nd, 2014, titled “PDP primary elections for Senate 2015: Withdrawal” and addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu.
Sources said that the senator may opt for the All Progressives Congress to realise his ambition of returning to the Senate in 2015.
In his letter, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, Gemade complained seriously about lack of transparency and absence of level playing field in the way the party’s primary election was being conducted.
He alleged that “things have become so bad that no one can expect a level playing field or even any democratic action in the party’s affairs.”
Gemade noted that as a founding member of the PDP in 1998 and indeed its leader in Benue State, the undemocratic developments in the party is a serious concern to him.
He further alleged that there was no room, currently for an honest and law abiding member of PDP to have a fair chance in any contest in the forthcoming primary elections, except those who have the powers to manipulate the process.
He requested that the party chairman use his good offices to cause the refund of all the fees he paid for the purpose of the elections.
Meanwhile, a source close to Gemade confided in our correspondent that “from the look of things, it is very likely that Gemade will join forces with Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, to give APC victory in Benue.”
The source said, “Gemade is certainly not a push over in Benue politics and cannot be toyed with. Managers of PDP will sooner or later discover what they have done to themselves.”
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