S'WEST PDP VOWS TO RESTORE LOST GLORY

By NBF News

The South-west zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday declared that it would restore its lost glory by ensuring it records victory in all the states of the South-west in the 2011 general election.

Declaring that its loss of three states was due to judicial process, the party insisted that the mandate of the people still subsists and a demonstration that the party was still popular in the South-west.

The National Vice Chairman of the party in the South-west, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo,while speaking with newsmen in Osogbo on Monday at the end of its meeting also said the defection of some members of the party in Osun State to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) would not affect the party.

He expressed optimism that the defectors would soon find their way back to the party as they would be humiliated in ACN.

Recalling that the likes of former vice President, Atiku Abubakar, National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun and Alhaji Haroun Bidmus once left the party and later retraced their steps, Oladipo expressed optimism that all the defectors would soon return.

Former chief of staff to ousted governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Mr Peter Babalola and two members of the House of Representatives, Ismaila Kolawole and John Fasogbon left the PDP for ACN barely a week after the court of appeal nullified Oyinlola's election.

Oladipo said the party would allow the new defectors have a taste of bitter pills like Atiku, Nwodo, Oyedokun and Bidmus had before they retraced their step.

For Oladipo, 'we accept in good faith the defections of our party members that have defected to the ruling party especially in Osun State, although this is not good for our party, nonetheless we are leaving the doors open to readmit them back as it had always been the case in the past'

Oladipo, however said the party in the zone would bounce back and restore its lost glory in the South-west as it had already put in motion, machineries aimed at repositioning the party in the region.

In a nine-point communique jointly signed by Oladipo and the zonal Secretary, Oluwaropo Adesanya, the South-west PDP insisted that despite the series of unfavourable court judgment against it, the party was still very strong and would spring surprises at the 2011 polls.

Insisting that PDP remained a veritable platform and very strong in the zone, Oladipo however said while ACN won through court rulings, PDP won through the mandate of the people and as such still had the support of the people behind it.

'According to him, only five people voted in Aregbesola while millions of people voted for Oyinlola. All the states lost by PDP in South West were lost through the court and not through mandate. It shows we still have the generality of the people behind us and we still have their mandate,' he declared.