FROM: EMMANUEL ADEYEMI, Lokoja.
A former governor of Kogi State and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Alh. Ibrahim Idris, has said his party was merely waiting for 2019 to take over power from the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The former governor said this while fielding questions from newsmen at his Lokoja residence over the weekend.
He said it was sad that the PDP lost the 2015 governorship election due to what he called “internal bickering as a result of imposition of candidates, ” but said the party had learnt a bitter lesson and would come out stronger in the next governorship election.
He expressed surprise over the level of peoples’ support and acceptability for the PDP in the state, saying the next governorship election would just be a walkover for the party as landslide victory was assured.
The former governor, who was in the state to oversee the just-concluded PDP ward Congress, said he was elated with the report garnered from the 21 local government areas of the state that the election was peaceful and orderly.
In his words, ” In 2019, by the grace of God, PDP will field a governorship candidate that is Young, focused, highly educated, intelligent, dynamic who will listen to the pieces of advice from elderly and experienced people and above all who will have the fear of God.
“We will not field somebody who will tear the state apart, neither shall we bring somebody that will spread hunger and starvation, but somebody that will wipe away our poverty and make the state great again.
“The elders say it is when a man marries the second wife that he knows who is better , we as a party have learnt our lesson and the electorates also have learnt their lesson that Kogi state is more safe and secured in the hands of PDP because they have tasted the second wife and they now know who is better,” he added.
The former governor fondly called Ibro who said he believes that educated youths could make a positive difference in governance, said his wish was to retire from active politics but he could not fold his hands to see the party he helped built be in disarray without doing anything.
” I cannot sit down and watch the building we suffered to build being pulled down by somebody using a sledge hammer without doing anything about it, history will not forgive me, and that is why we have all agreed that the era of imposition or impunity in the party is gone, we are now more united, and much stronger and we are merely waiting for 2019 to take back the Lugard House,” he added