Ekiti 2014: PDP Leader Urges Governorship Aspirants To Promote Unity
National Patron of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Youths Vanguard, Ambassador Gbenga Olofin has urged PDP governorship aspirants in Ekiti State against utterances capable of causing disunity in the party to advance their quest for the party governorship ticket.
Olofin, who frowned at the branding of some aspirants as “Founding/pioneer members” of PDP and others as “New members” said apart from issues like zoning and credibility of the candidate which are germane and constitutional; an issue of anyone being a founding/pioneer member of our party does not hold water.”
In a release issued in Ado-Ekiti today, Olofin said; “from my understanding, none of the aspirants can be regarded as either founding or new member of the PDP because those regarded as members of the party at the inception had one time or the other played the game of 'political harlotry', left the party for other parties before coming back to PDP when the parties they defected to could not sustain and retain them."
He said; "From available statistics, almost all the present gubernatorial aspirants apart from three have deflected at one time or the other, yet claiming to be pioneer member.
"One of them contested the 2007 governorship election under Labour Party before returning back to PDP in 2010. Another contested the same election under the National Democratic Party (NDP).
"In 2006, one of them left PDP for the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and was later appointed Interim National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress.
"Another of the aspirants had been a member of the ANPP, Progressives Peoples Alliance, Action Congress of Nigeria and Labour Party under which he contested the 2011 senatorial election.
Another one was in the NDP between 2005 and 2007 while one of the aspirants time had been a member of the Alliance for Democracy and National Conscience Party.
"There is also a prominent aspirant, who had been in the All Peoples Party, All Nigerian Peoples Party and Action Congress at different times before returning back to PDP.
“Section 18 Chapter II (Part I) of the 2012 Constitution of PDP (as amended), provides that; 'A person who has earlier decamped from the party, but later decides to return to the Party shall lose the seniority and privileges conferred on him by his previous status.'
“Therefore, those sending text messages, canvassing that the governorship candidate be picked from among the founding/pioneer members of the party should know that none of the aspirants is a founding/pioneer member of the PDP.
“Most importantly, the campaign branding those who joined the PDP since 2006 as new members is against the position of the new National Chairman of our party, Alhaji Adamu Mu'azu, which frowns at discriminating against new members of the party, not to talk of people who have been in the party for more than seven years.
“Definitely, this campaign of some members being pioneer and others being new is definitely an evil wind that will blow no one in the PDP any good and those behind it must be called to order now before they throw away this glaring chance of PDP in the coming election.
“It is therefore my appeal that the promoters of this divisive campaign should stop it so that they don't throw away the PDP's golden opportunity of returning to power in Ekiti State.”
Ambassador Olofin, fondly called “Political Messiah” by PDP National Youths Vanguard (South West) also advised all aspirants to base their political campaigns on commendable things they have done in the past for the party if any, what they have and would offer the electorates, what value they would add to the life of their people and developments they would bring to Ekiti State in general if elected.