• Party chieftain, Maina, calls for support of faithful members in Lagos LG elections
By Gabriel Dike
Chairman, Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Segun Adewale, has congratulated Senator Ahmed Makarfi on his affirmation as the authentic national chairman of the party by the Supreme Court.
This is coming at a time a chieftain of the party in Lagos State, Chief Aduke Maina, has tasked Makarfi to support the party’s candidates in the forthcoming local government elections in the state slated for July 22.
On the Supreme Court’s judgment, Adewale described the victory as a call to reconciliation towards building a formidable PDP.
In a statement yesterday, Adewale noted that the country’s democracy was being tested and victory belonged to all PDP members.
Said he: “I have always said despite the crisis in our party in the last 14 months, our party is all about the interest of the people. Our party remains the hope of Nigerians and the Supreme Court, today, has affirmed our belief in the rule of law.”
Adewale said there was no victor or vanquished in the resolution of the crisis, insisting: “It is a victory for democracy and for the Nigerian people. The fact that this party stood through this most difficult and challenging times with the preponderance of its members and structures across the country still intact speaks volumes of the strong ideology that binds us together as a family.” The chairman further stressed that though some members in Lagos betrayed the party at the thick of the crisis, his team remained faithful.
He appreciated his followers for their loyalty and steadfastness without which the party would not have fielded any candidate for the forthcoming local government elections on July 22.
“We are not part of those who moved to APDA, Labour Party, or Accord. We are here at the party secretariat and await further instructions from the national chairman. We are ready to accommodate those who left with the aim of building a virile opposition for the ruling party. Our party will rescue power from the misrule of All Progressives Congress (APC),” Adewale said.
In a related development, a chieftain of the party in Lagos State, Chief Maina, has tasked Markafi to support PDP candidates in the forthcoming councoil elections.
Chief Maina, who spoke to Daily Sun yesterday, said her advice to Makarfi to support loyal PDP candidates in the July 22 council election stemmed from a directive by a chieftain of the party in the state to PDP members, to pick nomination forms and contest under Labour Party (LP) and Accord Party (AP) before the ruling of the apex court.
She appealed to Makarfi to protect loyal PDP members in the forthcoming local government elections, stating that many of the aspirants contesting under LP and AP were PDP members who defected to the two parties based on the directive of Chief George, a Board of Trustees (BoT) member representing the South-West. Maina said her primary concern was about PDP loyalists, who remained faithful to the party during the crisis, thus necessitating the need to support the aspirants in the July 22 local government election.
The BoT member disclosed that those who defected on the advice of George and are contesting the forthcoming council election have their various posters under LP and AP logos.
Her words: “We are for PDP. I want our national chairman to protect our party members in the forthcoming election. They are authentic members and were loyal throughout the crisis. Alhaji Makarfi must throw his weight behind them.
‘’I want Alhaji Makarfi to embrace all our candidates for the July 22 local government elections. We have remained faithful to PDP. During the crisis, Bode George directed his loyal members to defect and pick nomination forms of LP and AP. Makarfi must support loyal members who stood by the party throughout the crisis.
She said: “Those who defected during the crisis cannot return to the PDP and contest under the party. Lagosians and our members in Lagos State should know that those who defected on the advice of Chief George could not run for the council elections under PDP.
“Now that Alhaji Makarfi has been declared the authentic chairman, he must ensure that loyal members contest under PDP. Bode George told his supporters to vote for LP and AP. They cannot come back and say they are PDP members. So, I want Alhaji Markafi to support loyal party members in the July elections.”
