 Welcome back. The People's Democratic Party on Sunday, May 22 kicked off its primary elections for the 2023 general election. A party had in the statement by its national organizing secretary, Mr. Umar Bature on Saturday night in Abuja said its primary elections to nominate candidates for the 2023 general elections will commence as officially scheduled. The party had said for the avoidance of doubt the state House of Assembly primaries to elect candidates would hold on Sunday, May 22 along with the House of Representatives primaries while the senatorial primary would hold on Monday, May 23 being today this after some rumors that the party had postponed its earlier scheduled primaries. These however did not hold without controversy in parts of some states. One of such is Lagos where the state chapter of the party had urged its national working committee to cancel the House of Assembly and House of Representatives primaries. A chairman of the PDP in Lagos state, Philips Ayiv Vojee addressing a news conference along with other state executives of the party, governship aspirants and party leaders in Ikeja claimed that the ad hoc delegates list brought by the electoral committees for both primaries had been compromised. Some persons sustained injuries at Lemu the headquarters of Bako local government area. In Lagos state, confusion, delay and alleged kidnapping of delegates docked the exercise and the primaries of the state House of Assembly and House of Representatives elections could not hold in the centers designated for the five legislative seats of alleged security threat. Now in Aqaibam state, a federal lawmaker, Uqbong Udo, Imadu Uqbong Udo refused to take part in Sunday's national assembly primaries citing an existing court order in a case against the Aqaibam PDP at a federal high court in Abuja. In Delta state gunmen numbering over 10 invaded the Anglican girls grammar school in Isokunof local government area of any of the PDP House of Assembly primary. We don't have time to exhaust the reports of controversy surrounding the PDP primary. So let's now this point welcome our guest on the breakfast this morning Diro or Damien as a former deputy publicity secretary of the People's Democratic Party. Mr. Damien, thanks for joining us. Thank you very much for this opportunity. What's your assessment and your verdict of the exercise of primaries for the state House of Assembly and House of Representatives of the PDP that held yesterday across the country? Yes, we are aware of a significant problem we are aware of the crisis here and there, but we are not unexpected. In the setting in many political context, we are two or three people aspiring for a position. But that is not to say that as a political party, without my age, we still come out on spaces and we resolve whatever is the crisis. But by and large, it was successful in most states. If we have 36 states where we are taking this election and we are able to recall sources in over two top of the call of the state, I think you should give us the beauty of organizing our thoughts. Let's delve to a state where the report says that the PDP in a state is divided as it seems to have conducted a parallel. I mean, looking at the opposition, the PDP is an opposition party. One would think that the party should put her axe together. At this point in time, that's not the time where you begin to experience parallel, primaries. I just said that politics is not always a peaceful problem. Even in churches, where you believe the planet should be, there are some crises, you know, and this is politics. And the state situation is quite critical in the sense that you will agree or you will understand that the governor came to join PDP at the late hour of the election. And all the PDP members he met on grand, you know, even though they had accepted him and, you know, they competed with him, but he came with his own team from APC, which more or less created a kind of crisis. But the party is aware and it is one of the few states that the party has set up series of reconciliation committee to look into and ensure that we do not lose that state. Either the assembly or rep or the defendants. So in the crisis, we agree. But what makes a party peace or how to know a party that is well organized is how they are able to resolve the crisis. So it's not beyond the redemption we will resolve it at the appropriate time. We are aware of the crisis. All right. You've talked about Edo State. Let's go to Lagos State, and I'm sure you're aware and you heard also from the introduction that we gave that the party chairman of the state held a press conference, you know, something as big as a press conference calling for the primaries to be moved forward. Of course, they weren't and they held. He was talking about a certain delegates list, you know, and was complaining about the delegates list. The ad hoc delegates list, he said it was brought by electoral committees for both primaries and he's claiming that the delegates list had been compromised, but they still went ahead to hold. The party has a procedure. We expect all districts to have one. The party has a procedure, you know, in its electionary process. This is that after every election, there's always an appeal committee that will be set up to look into whatever issues is being contested, you know, about by the opponent. So what's going to happen in this case is that the appeal committee will look into this issue if it did the list of delegates sent to Lagos at the authentic one or their, you know, doctor. As soon as the appeal committee, we take a decision and write the recommendation to the NWC. And it doesn't end there. The NWC will still subject their decision to the National Executive Council to the one with regard to the supreme body, which is the next National Executive Council. So the decision of the National Executive Council that will be the last to resolve this thing. So it's the process. If they are complaining about the doctor, it's not one. But the appeal committee will look into it. That is why PDP is on the line. All right. In a quibble state, a lawmaker is claiming he has an order of court, or there's a case before the federal High Court in Abuja. And he's saying that he won't take part, he refused to take part in the National Assembly primaries on Sunday. The House of Representatives primary citing that court order against the a quibble PDP. We're going to be seeing something there, probably the party missing out on the election at least for the House of Representatives election in 2023, if this is true. The PDP respects the court. And we always respect the decision or the judgment of the court. And that is where the senior advocate of Nigeria as a legal advisor. Whatever situation or all legal matters are put before you, and you will advise the party on the next step to take. So if you believe there is a court judgment somewhere, I'm sure the legal advisor will give appropriate advice to the party on what next to do. So it's no problem at all. We are not saying it as a problem. The one thing I'm going to show you is that PDP as a political party will not disobey any court judgment. But it seems the party has not been able to move on from its past of seeming lack of internal democracy, lack of transparency, you know, with what's happening in Lagos state. For instance, the party chairman, Ayiv Oji, said in a court, we're all shocked to see that the lists do not reflect the authentic elected ad hoc delegates as conducted by the organs of the party at the ward level and supervised by the DSS and INEC. You know, what he said is that copies of the ad hoc lists that emanated from the state and where submitted to INEC are completely different from the one brought by the committee for the purpose of the exercise. How on earth, Dira or Demi, can that happen? You see, what you are telling me now is a complaint. Let me summarize with everything at a complete. Let me summarize everything as what the chairman free is not the right thing to have been done. But what I'm now telling you is that as a political party, we will look into every complaint and we will do what is right to ensure that justice and justice are oppressed within the community. What I'm asking is what could possibly, Dira Demi, what I'm asking is what could possibly, yes. Because we are talking about a competent committee of the appeal will be set up. But Dira Demi, we've heard, sorry to interrupt you sir, but we've heard this. But Dira Demi, I'm sorry to interrupt but we've heard, yes, yes. We've heard this line over and over again. It's the usual line from you politicians that we have a party procedure, we have a party process and we have an appeals committee that will be set up and everything will be looked into. But that most times never happens. The will of those who are behind some of these things prevails at the end of the day. So I'm asking you, how is it that the list, ad hoc list submitted by the party, all the ad hoc delegates to INEC from a primary at a world level supervised by INEC and DSS, that that list was not brought. It was a different list that was brought to legacy. How is that possible? Sir, you are breaking up. I hardly had that question. Can you repeat it on the right, please? All right. Can you hear me now, sir? Hello? Yes. Can you hear me now, sir? All right. We'll try and get that sorted out. Dira Demi, can you hear me, please? Can you hear me, please? I can hear you. I can hear you now. I'm saying that most times this excuse or this reply you're giving me, which is that you have a party procedure and appeals and all that the complaints will be looked into. From my experience, it always ends up as medicine after death and never yields the desired result. So the party chairman in Lagos State, your party member, is saying that after they conducted the exercises at the world level are supervised by INEC and the DSS. They handed over the ad hoc list to INEC, that the list that was brought from Abuja by the national, by the committee, the screening committee, by the supervising committee, it's different from what they submitted to INEC and I'm asking how does that happen? I want to believe the INEC is an umpire in this situation and I'm telling you that there is no decision taken yesterday that cannot be obtained by GNWC. It's not the end of everything and it's never the final. And I've just told you a process now that after they appear, it comes to the National Executive Council. So the National Executive Council are very least privileged department about whatever we do in the party because they don't want a situation whereby a winner, we march after the general election and to the court judgment or to the court process. Such a candidate is nullified and you know give it to our opponent the APC. So we wouldn't wonder that is why we always maintain that clear record. So whatever decision was taken yesterday, even if it is not in line with fairness, justice and what is expected of a normal electoral process, it will be obtained by the party. So it's not the final and it's never the end. And for me, I find that it was witnessed by him and by INEC and security pages. You know, it shows that there are witnesses. It shows that it is written that could not go far. So the party will look into it and we address it. I give you my word on that and I'm actually with you. Can we also, I mean, look at this or the conversation surrounding the primaries, I mean, that has already started. Now, do you think that the PDP would factor what the people want? We understand that at the primary levels, I mean, at the primary level, it's within the power of the party and the delegates, you know, to decide who becomes the flag bearer. But you also have on the other hand the people saying that we're looking out for specific candidates. And if this candidate do not emerge as a flag bearer, the chances of having the PDP back in 2023 is very slim. So do you think that, you know, your party is also factoring or is your party considering, you know, the thoughts of the people, what the people want, because the elections is going to move away from, you know, just the party and to individuals? What you have just said is one of the challenges the PDP has adopted. We know we have been out of government and out of power for quite some years now and our ultimate aim and intention is to go back to that government. We want to assure Nigerians that giving us another opportunity, we will do what is right in terms of government. And as a result, we are listening to them. We are reading their leaves and we have a committee already that is doing that. And that is why the party has finally difficult to zone the presidency to a particular area because we are listening to Nigerians and we want to know what they want. So that what they want is what we are going to give them. It's part of our strategy and it is something we just have to take seriously to the 2023 election. So right now, we are aware and the people we are giving the power to, to elect the president or the flag bearer of our party are quite aware of the fact that we need to select the best candidate so that at the end of the day, the job of Elevationary and the campaign will be made very easy. So we are listening and we are holding the situation. But this is not just limited to the primaries for the presidential candidate. I mean selecting who becomes the flag bearer for the party at the presidential level. We're talking about the different positions across from the State House of Assembly amongst orders. The same answer that I will give you. We have experiences in the past. There was something like this happened in the state in the past where we have Dr. Lucia Gumi Miko who left PDP to contest an election under Labour Party 1 because of his personality and credibility which the people in the state believe in. And it was much after that, after winning that election, they came back to PDP. So it's not a new situation to us. We are aware of it. And that is why we are careful in selecting who will fly the flag of the party. Both at the State Assembly, at the right level and at the Senate level and up to the presidential. So we are quite aware of this. And that is why if you have a question in your character, if you don't have that credibility, of course the delegates are not going to vote for you. So we know because our power is limited. We can only select the candidate. The ultimate power belongs to the electorate who are going to assure that they do justice with their gutters kind. All right. Dero, before you go, what's the update with the situation in River State? I'm sure you're very aware of the arrest and detention of Fardagogo Governor Shibasparan who is also a serving member of the House of Representatives. So the message that he is a serving member of the House of Representatives and this is not be subjected to debate on the floor of the House shows that what is happening in River State is pure judicial or police matter. So we will rather allow whatever is the accusation, you know, for him to defend himself rather than dabble into it and say, yeah, because it is River State or because we have the presidential candidate or aspirant from there, you know, we have to subject it to public debate. No. It is a criminal matter that is being handled by the judiciary. So don't let us comment. It could be argued that it is a political matter that is trying to be turned into a criminal matter and the party needs to do something about this so that it does not suffer at the end of the day. When a matter is before the judiciary, when a matter is between the court, it is beyond the political party to dabble into or to talk about. But that is not to say that underneath or behind the same, the party is not talking about it. We are boxed due to the result of that and I show you of that. All right. All right. Thank you very much for your time and for your expert analysis, former deputy national publicity secretary of People's Democratic Party, Diro Deimi has joined us on the first segment for discussion this morning. Thank you for your time, sir. Thank you very much for the opportunity. I appreciate it. Interesting. Today is her international day to end obstetric fistler. When we return from our break, we speak to a guest as we look at the importance of this day. Please stay with us.