From: Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Ahead of the forth-coming governorship election in the state, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, has called on politicians and party supporters to support issues and ideals capable of promoting the nation’s democracy instead of emphasising on political parties.
The party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman, Alhaji Sarafa Ishola, who was deployed from Ogun State to effect reconciliation between the two factions in the party in Osun State stated this, on Wednesday in Iwo Town, after the inauguration of a caretaker committee in the Local Government Area.
Ishola tressed that only support for democracy could strengthen political parties and generate dividends of democracy that people are clamouring for.
He maintained hat though the reconciliation between aggrieved members of the party would help in moving PDP forward, and that support for democracy should never be compromised due to its relevance to people’s yearnings in a democratic setting.
Ishola noted that for Nigerians to move forward politically, there must be one strong opposition and one strong ruling party.
“We must have one ruling party and one opposition party. What we are doing here goes beyond the interest of the PDP. It is about promoting democracy. It is about having one strong ruling party and one strong opposition party. That is the way to sustain our democracy,” he stressed.
We all travel outside the country and see the way it is done. Why can’t we emulate such virtues? One strong ruling party and one strong opposition party without personal attacks.
“I am using this opportunity to appeal to the APC. We are not fighting. This is democracy, the ruling party and the opposition party should be given space so that the people will then decide during elections.
He enjoined politicians to always focus on critical issues capable of engendering political development rather than promoting hate speeches or violence.
He also expressed optimism that PDP’s victory against APC in the last Osun West Senatorial election when Ademola Adeleke emerged winner, had boosted PDP’s confidence to win the governorship election in the state.
“We had a challenge of disunity in the party. But now that the walls of Jericho are being broken, the party is back as one and this is an encouraging development pointing in the direction of victory.”
Ishola had recently described the recent reaction of the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress to the ongoing reconciliation process in the PDP as an indication that the ruling party was worried about its imminent defeat in the next year’s governorship election.
He described the reactions of the APC spokesman, Kunle Oyatomi, as “an outburst of a drowning sailor who would ordinarily want to hold on to every flimsy straw with the hope of survival. There is however no hope for the APC surviving this coming electoral hurricane because the people of Osun State are ready to change this ineffectual government come 2018.”