PDP names Atiku, Mark, Shekarau, Govs as Ekiti guber strategists

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

Ahead of the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inaugurated a 40-member Campaign Council headed by the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel.
The Council, comprising all PDP governors as well past governors, has the Governor of Gombe state, Ibrahim Dankwambo, as Deputy Chairman.
The council also has former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, erstwhile Senate President, David Mark, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and former Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, among others as members. The Secretary of the Council is Eddy Olafeso.
While inaugurating the council yesterday at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, pointed out that the caliber of names drawn up as members of the council shows in an unmistaken terms the importance the party attaches to this exercise.
According to Secondus, “Ekiti state means so much to our party because of the strategic position it occupies in that geopolitical region and the fact that it’s a test run election ahead of Osun state governorship election in September and the general elections in less than one year from now.
“Ordinarily given the enviable achievements of our party in the state in the area of delivering democracy dividend to the people in the last three years under the leadership of our able irrepressible Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Chief Peter Ayodele Fayose, Ekiti should be a smooth contest for us, but intelligence available to the party shows that the All Progressives Congress, APC is planning in their own words to “capture Ekiti at all cost”, he said.
While responding on behalf of other members of the conciliatory, the Chairman, Governor Emmanuel assured that the committee would do it best to ensure that PDP wins the state election.
Emmanuel said that with the quality of the people in the council, there was no roam for excuse, but to achieve desire result.
According to him, “We promise that we will make sacrifices to give it our best.”
He said with the achievements of Fayose he has so much to show to the people Ekiti state.
He added, “I also believe that PDP governors have do so much in terms of delivering dividends of democracy to the people and critical infrastructure in the last three years.
“If the APC believe they have done for their people in the last three years let us call ourselves out and compare notes. Let us know the crop of the governors delivered more”, he said.