THE eight contenders for the national chairmanship seat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have agreed to work with any of them elected at the party’s convention on December 9.
Chairman of PDP Governors Forum and Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, made the disclosure at a news briefing on Monday after a closed-door meeting in Enugu.
Fayose said that the governors met to deliberate on the forthcoming national convention and discussed with the chairmanship aspirants.
According to him, the forthcoming PDP convention will serve as a template for future conventions in the country.
He said: “We have responsible people vying for the office of national chairman of the PDP. The candidates have agreed to work together and whoever emerges, they will support him.
“We put PDP first and PDP is first. We are leaving Enugu believing that we will take power at the centre in 2019.”
Fayose, flanked by other PDP governors, expressed the belief that the party would win the Saturday’s governorship poll in Anambra State.
“We believe we will take over Anambra State if the election is free, fair and credible.
“Nigeria is of age to conduct an election that is acceptable internationally,” he said.
Governors at the meeting were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa-Ibom), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), while Ebonyi State was represented by the deputy governor.
Former governors at the meeting are Gabriel Suswam of Benue State and Godswill Akpabio of Akwa-Ibom State.
The meeting was also attended by former External Affairs Minister, Tom Ikimi; former minister, Kema Chikwe; former Senate President, Adolpus Wabara and incumbent Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Party chairmanship aspirants in attendance included former Minister of Special Duties, Taoheed Adedoja; former Minister of Education, Tunde Adeniran; former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Bode George and a former acting national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus.
Others are former governor of Ogun State, Chief Gbenga Daniel; a former PDP governorship candidate in Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje and Chief Raymond Dokpesi.
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, at the meeting declared that the PDP must form a united front after the December 9 national convention to help salvage the country from present predicament.
The governor emphasised that he would never be a party to anything that will lead to the disintegration of the PDP.
Speaking when he granted audience to Chief Olabode George, at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Monday, Governor Wike said that the national convention is a family affair.
He said: “As we agreed in Enugu, whoever wins, let us come out from the national convention stronger.
“If we don’t get it right now that Nigerians are yearning for the party, we should as well say goodbye.”
The PDP-Renaissance Initiative (PRI) also raised an alarm over what it saw as partiality playing out in the ongoing race for the national chairmanship of the party.
The intra-party group asked the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) to take a leaf from the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee that has so far exhibited maturity, neutrality, and decorum in the emerging contest.
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