Kogiflame.com
A chairmanship aspirant for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kogi State chapter State Congress, Muhammed Omuya, has said that the National working committee of the party has not directed the retention of the outgoing executives in the State.
He said rather, the national working committee has only said that the positions should be retained in the senatorial districts where they are currently domisiled, saying that the claim of some of the party leadership contradicts the directive of the NWC.
Addressing journalists in Lokoja on Sunday, Omuya, said he was in the race to salvage the party from it’s present pitiable state and imminent collapse, noting that the party has been relegated to there background where it has lost almost all elective positions in the last four years.
“As a foundation member of the party since 1998, I felt the need to salvage the party. I have what it takes to contribute my quota in the ongoing move to restructure and reposition the party for effective performance.
“There was no directive from the national Secretariat of the party to return the current executives. The party was very explicit on this. In fact the National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbodinya, was in kogi state two weeks ago to announce the time table for the state congresses and he made it clear that all the positions should be retained in their current senatorial zones and not to retain the outgoing executives. “
He equally added that the positions could also be rotated amongst the senatorial districts.
He even stressed that if anyone is not satisfied with the arrangement put in place by the national leadership of the party, such a person can obtain his form to contest the election during the congresses.
According to him, the party has declared the reconstitution of a new state working Committtee and not the affirmation of the current executives, adding that since the chairmandhip position was zoned to the central senatorial district where he hails from, he was eminently qualify for the position.
On his chances of winning the election, Omuya said that he has consult widely and have gotten the assurances of major stakeholders of the party, saying that he is a candidate to beat in the election.
“The responses I am getting is that members of our party are yearning for a change that will bring prosperity to our party. The outgoing executives have done their best, I am not blaming anyone but there is the desire to inject new blood, new ideas, new action, new ways of winning election into the system for better performance.
“The fortunes of the party has dwindled in the last four years. Four years ago, we have the Governor, three senators, nine House of Representatives members, seventeen house of Assembly members. But today what do we have, one senator, One house of Representatives member and that was all. We do not have any member in the house of Assembly. Can we continue like that?. I believe that I can bring in new ideas to help reguvinate, bring in new ideas to restore the lost glory of the part.
“I have been a party man, I have contested elections and I know what it takes to win elections. I have been carrying out party activities in the last fifteen years from local government, senatorial level up to the state level, so it is not new to me what it takes to run a vibrant party structure.
Obviously, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the State Chairmanship of Engr Sam Uhuotu from Okehi LGA in Kogi Central Senatorial Districts is almost completely dead in Kogi State. The party’s performance during the 2019 general elections is very poor and as a matter of facts the Engr Uhuotu led PDP State EXCO totally failed. Reason was that Engr Sam Uhuotu wasn’t a politician but a businessman, a Hotelier and a Golfer. He managed his way into the State PDP Chairmanship through his friend and a colleague hotelier who was a former Governor of Kogi State. Kogi State PDP required a change in the state leadership of the party for better performance.