How Ogun PDP sold my return ticket, by Rep

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Communications Dave Salako yesterday accused some chieftains of Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of selling his return ticket for next month’s election for N100million.

Salako, who represents Remo/Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency, Ogun State , made the allegations at a press conference in Abuja .

The lawmaker said his signature was forged and superimposed on a purported letter of withdrawal that was forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He claimed that the deal to shut him out of the election was done in connivance with an unnamed Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) official.

Salako said his suspicion that there was a calculated move to undo him stemmed from the fact that three weeks after he petitioned INEC about the unlawful removal of his name from the list of Ogun State candidates for House of Representatives election on April 2, INEC  refused to act on his petition.

Apart from INEC, he said he also petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the shady deal allegedly perpetrated by the Ogun State PDP officials.

The lawmaker’s protest and petition to INEC was dated March?

 Salako noted in the petition, part of which he read at the press conference that he was prepared to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion to ensure that justice was done.

The petition reads in part: “Like a shot from the blues, information came to me today that without my consent or knowledge or approval, someone mischievously removed my name as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the April 2011 election into the House of Representatives in Remo/Ikenne/Shagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency. To make the matter worse, I understand that my name was replaced with the name of Oladipo Adebutu, an aspirant who took part in the Joju Fadairo primary that was declared unlawful and illegal.

“What is more, if as at March 3, 2011, the court confirmed me as a candidate for 2011 House of Representatives elections, it means that it was after the judgment that my name was substituted.

“And as at that time, it was unlawful for any change of name to be made in the list of candidates by any party. There is no doubt, therefore, that the purported change of my name as candidate is wrongful, unlawful and illegal.”

He said he did not at any time sign any document not to contest the election.

Salako  said he was not contacted to confirm or reject “my forged signature on the paper presented to INEC by the person who unlawfully substituted my name.”

Asked to name those behind the sale of his ticket, he blamed it on unnamed kingpins in the Ogun State PDP hierarchy.

Salako said: “What is important at this stage is just to inform you that I have been defrauded, I have been short-changed, my candidature has been sold by a kingpin in Ogun State for about N100 million.”

He went on: “I gathered that somebody who was not happy with me, one of the kingpins in this fraud thing that they have committed said I was not paying my dues and therefore, my position has been sold for a N100 million. I am told the other people paid for this”

The Chairman of Ogun State PDP, Bashorun Dayo Soremi, in a February 10 letter to INEC.

“Salako has withdrawn his candidature and stepped down for Mr. Oladipupo Olatunde Adebutu as the candidate of our party in respect of Remo Federal Constituency”.

The withdrawal letter contained the passport pictures of both Salako and Adebutu.

Salako said apart from the official letter of protest he wrote to INEC, he also  tabled the matter before INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega during a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters.

He said Jega promised to look into the matter “but up till today nothing had been done.”