From: WOLE BALOGUN, Ado-Ekiti

A former Nigeria’s  envoy to Canada, Amb. Dare Bejide, has said the

defection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the All Progresives Congress (APC) was a signal that President Muhammadu Buhari has disappointed Nigerians.

Bejide, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, hinted that it was dangerous for the APC to have lost a politician of Atiku’s clout.

On the contest for the PDP’s National Chairmanship seat, Bejide predicted doom for the party if the Southwest is prevented from clinching the steat, as being allegedly stage-managed by some party top notches.

Former governor Gbenga Daniel, Chief Bode George, Prof Tunde Adeniran, and  Mr. Jimi Agbaje are the aspirants jostling for the party’s plum seat.

Bejide spoke in Ikere-Ekiti, on Wednesday, during a meeting with some

party members in the local government ahead of the 2018 governorship

election.

The former envo , who claimed he would clinch the party’s ticket

in spite of Governor Ayodele Fayose’s adoption of his deputy, Prof.

Kola Olusola as preferred candidate, added that Atiku’s defection would

impact on the PDP positively.

He said, “For a politician of Atiku’s standing to have defected shows President

Buhari’s  poor performances in government. It confirms the APC is not

the best for Nigeria and his coming is a good development for our

party”, he said.

Bejide said the outcome of the December 10 National Convention of the

PDP will determine how the 2019 will look like for the party .

“It is only logical to make someone from the Southwest the National

Chairman. Since the formation of the PDP in 1998, nobody from that

zone has been elected into that position  and this is the right time

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and opportunity to correct that neglect.

“ Vice Presidential  Prof Yemi Osibajo is from the Southwest, the APC

national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is from the zone and the party

controls five states out of six, so it will be suicidal for the PDP to

neglect the region in its political calculations.

“Let me say this clearly, if the party takes the position to the South

South, it means they are saying they don’t need the votes of that

region and the implications will be dire for the PDP”, he warned.

Bejide also said the alleged illegal adoption of Prof. Olusola as the party’s

sole candidate for the 2018 governorship election further confirmed

that the founding fathers of the party are being sidelined and

undermined.

He continued, “We  formed the PDP in Ekiti in 1998 when the party’s members were

being seen as bastards by the South-westerners. But today , we have no

say again but we won’t tolerate such and that is why I am gunning for

the governorship .

“We want to serve our people. We want to return the party to them. We

want to serve the women, youths and other populace in Ekiti in the

most deserving way and that is why I am want your support”, Bejide

pleaded.‎