Osun guber: PDP clears 11 aspirants, says no room for compromise

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

All the eleven aspirants, who indicated interest in contesting the forthcoming Osun State governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have been screened and clear by the party.
The Chairman of the screening committee and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Austin Opara announced the clearance of the aspirants at a meeting with the aspirants at the PDP national secretariat yesterday in Abuja.
The aspirants were subsequently issued their certificates of clearance after the meeting.
The primary election to elect the Osun governorship candidate of the PDP has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 17, 2018.
The Deputy National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and member of the party ‘s screening committee, Engr Agbo Emmanuel explained that the eleven aspirants were cleared after a rigorous screening exercise.
Barr Emmanuel however warned that “the PDP under the leadership of Prince Uche Scondus will not compromise, in all the contest beginning from the election of the three- man delegates and to the state congress that will produce one of you as the flag bearer of the party”.
He advised the aspirants to engage themselves in meaningful discussion, adding that “if you are unable to harmonize, the leadership of the party will not fail in organizing a free and fair primary election, just as we did in Ekiti”.
Continuing, he said, “When we were going to Ekiti, maybe because we have a sitting governor, people thought we will bend the rules, but we stood our grounds and organized the best primary election in recent time”
Emmanuel also explained that the party is going to organize a hitch free primary not for or against an individual, but to do so” because that is the needful that we must do to win Osun state”.
He charged all aspirants to see yesterday’s meeting as”a golden opportunity for you all, that instead of about 300,000 members of PDP in Osun state to decide who becomes the party’s candidate,11 of you should go and decide who becomes the party’s candidate, because we are sure that from the 11 of you here today, one of you is the next governor of Osun state”.
The Deputy National Secretary added, “ all we want is sincerity of purpose, honor whatever agreement you go into, show capacity to honor every agreement to the later. No one is an anointed candidate of the party, if there is any we won’t have called for this meeting”.
He revealed that, “no anointed candidate, remember five delegates already for many years back have been confirmed to be automatic delegates to the congress. In ths intstance, they are the Chairman, Deputy, Secretary, Youth leader, Woman leader, do we have a hand in it?
Engr Emmanuel also stated that, “We are not only ready to win Osun state, we are also ready to rescue Nigerians from the challenges this government has imposed on them. We want all of you to support the path to rescue Nigeria in February next year”.
Speaking on behalf of other aspirants, Barrister Nathaniel Oke (SAN) thanked all the members of the screening committe for the successful work they did.
He also confirmed that in the absence of the members of the party national working committee, all the aspirants have been discussing for a while, adding that all plans are being put in place to ensure that the party comes out victorious in the election.
Barrister Oke reaffirmed that, “within the 11 of us, the election of Osun is taking place here today. Why do I say so? The moment we harmonize, what ever their plans in Osun, the election is for PDP. But continue to pray for Osun, continue to pray for Nigeria, we cannot do it alone, so we have to go spiritual”.