The national leadership of the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party may not appeal to members who defected from the
party as a result of
the rancour that followed its just-concluded
primaries, The PUNCH has learnt.
The party has also named a former
National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, as the Director-General,
Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign Organisation.
It was also learnt that the party had
foreclosed talking to those who moved to other political parties where
they felt they could achieve their political aspirations.
Among those who left were a former
Governor of Oyo State, Chief Bayo Alao-Akala, who is now a member of the
Labour Party; a former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and
Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom (All Progressives Congress); and a former
National Chairman of the party, Senator Bernabas Gemade.
Many other aggrieved members of the
party, despite the plea by President Goodluck Jonathan not to leave the
PDP, have also left the party as a result of the controversial
primaries.
The President had on Saturday appealed
to them not to leave, saying that the leadership of the party was
working hard to resolve the conflicts thrown up by primaries in many
states.
Despite this, the party said there was
no mass exodus among its members, adding that in politics, while some
were leaving a political party, others would be joining.
The National Secretary of the party,
Prof. Wale Oladipo, in answers to questions from our correspondent in
Abuja on Monday, said there was nothing to fear concerning those who
left the party.
He said, “There is no mass defection in
the PDP. I’m assuring you of that. In politics, you win some; you lose
some. That’s what we did in Oyo, Sokoto, Kwara and other states.
“We are not shocked (by the defections).
When the former Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, took our
mandate to another party, God gave it back to us miraculously.
“In Kwara, when the governor and others took our mandate to the opposition, God brought Dele Belgore and others to us.
“In Sokoto, when the governor also took
our mandate away, God gave us Attahiru Bafarawa. The same thing is
happening in Oyo and other states where we are gaining members.”
He said there was nothing to fear, adding that the national leadership was ready to go ahead with the presidential campaign.
Oladipo also confirmed the appointment of Ali as the director-general of President Jonathan Campaign Organisation.
On who is the actual governorship
candidate of the party in Ogun State, Oladipo, refused to be categorical
on this. He merely said that his party would meet the deadline set by
the Independent National Electoral Commission for the submission of
governorship candidates’ names by political parties.
It will be recalled that the members of
the National Working Committee of the party had ordered the state
chapter of the party not to conduct the governorship primary.
The directive was ignored as a faction
of the party in the state went ahead to elect Alhaji Gboyega Isiaka as
its governorship candidate. The action was being contested by the other
faction of the party in the state.
However, Oladipo said there was nothing to be worried about on this.
He also said the issue of Anambra State, where three different primaries were held at different locations, was not an issue.
He said, “On Ogun State, INEC has set
the 26th of this month as the deadline for the submission of the list of
candidates for governorship and House of Assembly members.
“Our party will beat that deadline. As
for Anambra, we organised primaries and the names of those who won have
been sent to INEC.”
Asked about the names of those who were sent, he said he was sure that the commission would still publish them.
Source:Punch Newspaper.
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