…Says, ‘With justice and fairness, lost sheep”ll retrace steps’
Priscilla Ofunre, Ado-Ekiti
Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Chief Gboyega Oguntuwase, on Monday, said the party would no longer allow the imposition of candidates during its congresses and primary elections to reposition it for victory in future elections.
Oguntuwase, who lamented that imposition in the past by some leaders and outright anti-party activities had robbed the party of cohesion and success, said, “We believe the best way to even bring those that are lost back to the party is to make sure that we stand for justice and fairness”.
The PDP chairman said in Ado-Ekiti that the victory of PDP candidate for Ekiti South Senatorial District, Senator Biodun Olujimi, at the Appeal Court as the winner of the election in the district had also strengthened the party and revitalized its spirit.
He said, “We are appealing to all members to shun every divisive tendency so that we will have a strong, indivisible party so that we can have strength to take over power from All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State and even join hands with other states to take over governance from the APC at the centre.
“We would put a structure that would discourage imposition in the next congress and in subsequent primaries within the party. The party would correct every wrong that had been done in the past and we would make sure that we strengthen the party with total obedience to democratic norms.
“We will make sure that we stop people from wanting to impose people, stop those people trying to abort democratic process. We would be able to produce an acceptable executive which would not support any anti-party moves. Everything would be done in obedience to the party’s constitution and we will make sure that nobody suffers unduly”.
The PDP chairman said, “Senator Olujimi’s recovery of her mandate is victory for PDP. It is an indication that no man is God. This has actually revitalized the spirit of the PDP. We were deprived of the victory ab-initio.
“If Senator Olujimi had been declared winner in the South after the election, if the two candidates for the House of Representatives in South had pursued their legal matters with thoroughness and bravery, we probably would have recovered one or two.
“If you look at the North Senatorial District, the way our candidates lost at the courts were purely on technical matters. As far as we are concerned, we would have won even in the North. The PDP stand ab-initio is now being justified that we won the election,” Oguntuwase said.
