By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
Ahead of the November this year’s governorship election in Ondo State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said on Tuesday that it has learnt its lesson and assured that the right thing will done for the party to emerge victorious in the election.
The PDP said this yesterday during a crucial meeting between its acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, other members of its National Working Committee (NWC) and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State
with critical Party stakeholders from Ondo State at its National headquarters in Abuja.
The stakeholders meeting, which had Governor Makinde as Chairman, was attended by some Governorship aspirants like Mr Sola Nehemiah Ebiseni and Otunba Bamidele Akingboye among others.
The party specifically assured that it’s primaries, which will hold in April to elect its governorship candidate for the election will be conducted in a free, fair, transparent and credible manner.
This is even as facts have emerged that the PDP has zoned its governorship ticket for the November election to the Southern Senatorial district of the state.
Governor Makinde, while answering questions from journalists on his way out of the venue of the meeting, said, “What is before us is very very important. I heard that there are going to be so many aspirants and at the end of the day only one candidate will emerge and this one candidate that will emerge will be very important to us as he will even go ahead and claim the government house.
“So, that’s why we are making this contribution during our discussions. I want us to be conscious and watch our words so that at the end of the day we can achieve our aim.
“We have learned from the last governorship election. Actually, you learn more when you fail than when you succeed. So we ‘ve learned bitter lessons.
“For the benefit of everybody, the governorship election in Ondo State is not going to be handed over to anybody. It will be a fight. As PDP, we will fight.
“If in the past four years ago, we had that division within us that allowed the seat to slip away from us, at this time, we are united and we will stay united all the way to the election. So this is a time for us to come together.
“We may actually disagree on a few things, but from our own situation in the Oyo State, yes, we have disagreement, but we’re solving our problems.
“Even as we speak. We’re not solving it outside. We’re solving it right inside the Government House.
“So if you disagree, it’s normal. But let us win the Government House and then all the areas of disagreements ,we will keep addressing them. We can only share success; failure is difficult to share.
“So, by God’s grace, we shall be successful in the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election”, he he said optimistically.
Speaking earlier at the meeting, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Amb Ilya Damagum appealed to all the stakeholders, particularly, to be cautious in whatever they do and say before and after the party’s primaries.
In the words of Damagum, “This (Tuesday’s) meeting is part of the fulfillment of the process of the primaries that is before us and we invited you here so that we’ll have an interactive session.
“Three important items are being mentioned by NOS (National Organizing Secretary).
