Kogiflame.com
CONCERNED stakeholders of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State has called on the National Working Committee of the party to urgently address the political and personal hatred within the folds of leading aspirants for the November 16 governorship election to avoid an implosion.
The stakeholders under the aegis of Concerned Kogi PDP Professionernals in a press statement issued on Thursday which was made available to newsmen in Lokoja said inspite of the bright chances of the party at the poll, PDP may still lose the election if it did not address the personal enmity amongst the aspirants.
National coordinator of the group, James Ikudoro who spoke on behalf of the group specifically mentioned the three leading aspirants as Ex Governor Idris Wada; son of Former Governor Ibrahim Idris, Abubakar Idris and Engr. Musa Wada; all who are related by blood or as in- law.
The statement reads in part, “The danger we face as we prepare for November can be simplified into these names. Out of the 12 candidates that are known to have been cleared for the primaries there’s a very strong probability that one of the three adversaries Idris Wada, Abubakar Ibrahim Idris and Engr Musa Wada could emerge victorious. As a matter of fact it will be considered an upset if a winner emerges outside this bickering trio.
“Already elders and stakeholders of the party in the state are divided almost evenly between these candidates. Each of them have really dug in and it would appear that there can be no consensus either now or after the primaries.
“That is exactly the danger the party is up against. A victory of any of the three will ignite a resentment in the camps of the unsuccessful duo that will most certainly culminate into subversion of the ticket. Already the supporters of these three openly threaten to work against the party should their preferred candidates fail to emerge at the end of the nomination exercise.
“Everybody already expects an implosion which will ensure that rancour and disunity endure in the party up to the elections on November 16. The APC already plans to exploit and take advantage of this manifest dissonance . All they need to do is to just wait. It’s already a fait accompli!
“But it needs not be. The primaries is still a few days from now and the party leadership can achieve a lot by taking charge of the situation to ensure that the imminent calamity is contained thereby restoring hope and unity to the members who are already apprehensive of the consequences of the simmering discord.
“What is playing out among the three related front runners is not political contest but bitter personality rivalry which has more to do with ego and animus than ambition. It is for this reason that we are urging our great party to seize the bull by the horn and immediately confront the situation using the following extreme measures.
“Immediately convene a meeting between the three candidates with other aspirants as observers, with a view to mitigating their differences and asking two of the three to step down for one.”
The stakeholders said the NWC should mandate all the trios to withdraw from the race if a consensus cannot be reached for a neutral person to emerge as candidate.
They however urged the party to defray some costs already incurred by the candidates, “The party should assure the trio that they will extract a promise from the eventual candidate that after the party’s victory, their interests will be adequately accommodated in appointments and patronages.”
