Taraba State governor, Mr Darius Ishaku, has advised aspirants for national chairmanship seat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Dec. 9 convention against rancour in the pursuit of their ambition.
Ishaku, represented by his deputy, Mr Haruna Manu, gave the advice when he received one of the aspirants, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, in Government House, Jalingo.
He said that PDP had done well for all the contestants, and it was time for them to reciprocate by ensuring that the party had peaceful and successful convention.
“It is not time for political hunting; it is not time for rancour. We expect to see rancour-free national convention.
“Our wish could have been to have a consensus candidate at the convention, but we are democrats.
“We know that all of you that are vying for the position are competent and capable. You have contributed immensely to the development of the party.
“When I see that you went to another aspirant to commission his office, I know you are a true democrat.
“We hope that whoever emerges as the leader of our great party, the rest will embrace him so that we can all work for the unity of the party and its victory,’’ he said.
The governor said that the state would take the December convention with all seriousness because it had no party other than the PDP.
“In Taraba, I can assure you that this convention, we will take it as if we are going into our elections.
This is because we know that the success of the convention will go a long way in determining what will happen in 2019, especially in Taraba.’’
He said the state was not just one of the two in the North where PDP had governors, but had remained the only Northern state where the party had been in power since 1999.
Ishaku prayed for the success of Dokpesi in his ambition to lead PDP.
Earlier, Dokpesi had said that to confront the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general elections, PDP needed the media and a knowledgeable chairman.
“The most powerful tool which we have to launch to sustain is the war of conscience and the war of knowledge.
“We need tool to be able to do so, and that tool is the media. That is the tool which we must have because when you are going to war you must have something in your hand.
You have that in me and that I have always provided for the PDP,’’ Dokpesi said.
He said the encouragement the party could give him would be to support his ambition to lead it into the 2019 general elections.
Addressing the Executive Committee members of the party in the state and national delegates to the convention, Dokpesi said PDP must regain power in 2019 because of current yearnings and suffering of Nigerians.
He appealed to PDP leaders at the states and federal levels who felt offended to embrace forgiveness.
Dokpesi, however, said that he was committed to his pledge to support whoever emerged, adding, “but give me the opportunity to be the person.’’
Responding, Chairman of the party in the state, Mr Victor Bala, expressed his wish to see the aspirants come up with a consensus candidate before the December convention.
Bala, who described Dokpesi as a quality and capable candidate to lead PDP, prayed for his success. (NAN)
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