The crisis in Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] has now deepened, as some faction leaders of the party, led by Mr. Akin Olowookere today said they did not recognized Chief Olusola Oke as the flagbearer of the party in the coming October 20, governorship election in the state
The aggrieved PDP group said the process that led to the emergence of the former National Legal Adviser of PDP did not follow due process and as such his group would not vote for him during the poll.
At a press conference in Akure yesterday, Olowookere, said ” in as much as democracy could not be built on undemocratic foundations , Oke’s nomination is heavily flawed and is not acceptable to us.
According to him, “The so-called State Exco that emanated from the illegal Congress preceding the primaries for governorship aspirants within the party was flawed ”
He said the delegate members that produced Oke was handpicked and taken into an inner room to decide privately who will be the party flag bearer of the party.
The factional leader said it is not absolutely true that a member of a political party must support the candidate of its party, citing the example of the presidential election where all ACN States except Osun State voted for President Goodluck Jonathan
He also cited Edo State gubernatorial election, where eminent PDP leaders worked assiduously for Oshinomole victory, stressing that in today’s politics, the dictating factor is to vote for a good, credible candidate, who is full of integrity and commitment to the welfare of the masses.
His words “the rigidity that I must vote for the candidate of my party ,even if he has no experience to govern well can definitely not sail anymore”.
When asked of the Candidate of the group in the forthcoming election, Olowookere said since the other faction of the party is working for the ACN, the group have decided on the candidate of their choice out of the three prominent candidates in the election.
Olowookere denied the allegation that his group was being sponsored by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, saying “Our group is independent and is being funded by members and not any individual or group”
But, the PDP Spokesman, Mr. Ayo Fadaka alleged that the group who claimed to be members of the PDP was only sent by the Governor Mimiko to cause mayhem in the party.
His words, “It is important to recall that this Particular group was at the nexus of the crisis that bedeviled the Party last year, it masqueraded as a group of concerned Party men desirous of a renewal within the Party, when in actual fact it was already procured by Dr Mimiko to execute an agenda prepared by him to destroy the Party as this is consistent to his insatiable lust for power and he considers the PDP as the only stumbling block on his path. Unfortunately for them they have failed woefully as the people have seen through their deception and have completely abandoned them.
These characters are people who are bereft of principles, men who denigrated their personalities and reduced themselves to mere puppets and rookies on the chessboard of a man who is many years their junior, they parade themselves as leaders when in actual fact they are dealers whose articles of trade are confidence peddling and absolute deceit, people whose entire worth and long standing careers have being monetized and therefore reduced to cheap articles of trade.
“Today we see tired politicians with absolutely castrated profile on parade like actors, procured to play an infinitesimal role in a futile and sterile political action aimed to clip the profile of a Party that has already gone on a rebirth and currently primed on a high pedestal to accomplish absolute success come October 20 election.
“Their claim that they won’t work for a Party they say they belong to, and yet declare that A C N cannot win the State but will work for another major candidate is indicative of the fact that they are Mimiko’s verandah boys and lackeys, they are part of the many ludicrous programs of Mimiko that have brought no benefit to the State”.
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