PDP chairmanship: Aspirants condemn consensus candidate

-PDP members disapprove consensus candidate.

-PDP chairmanship aspirants ready for their national convention.

The race for the chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party is set to hot up this week as aspirants are expected to fully begin their campaigns.

The chairmanship contest of the People’s Democratic Party is has begun, with interested politicians set to commence campaigns.

Aspirants  have been said to be making plans take advantage of the resumption of the National Assembly members to indicate  intension to vie for the PDP chairmanship seat, Punch reports.

Meanwhile,  some contenders for the office have disclosed readiness to resist the imposition of any candidate. Some others have also expressed that their unwillingness to step down for others.

In line with the opposition of a consesus candidate, major contenders in tussle have declared that every aspirant must be prepared to face the party’s delegates at the December national convention.

Speaking with Punch, a former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran said each contender for the  National Chairman seat of the party must be set to test his popularity at the convention.

As the  only aspirant who has set up his campaign office in Abuja, Adeniran said he would officially declare his intentions on Tuesday and would soon commence his nationwide campaign.

Speaking through his Media Aide, Mr. Taiwo Akeju, on Sunday said in Aauja, that he would hopes to be elected by all members of the party at the convention, Punch reports.

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Akeju stated, “We are beginning our campaign on Tuesday. After that, we will begin to tour the whole country through the zones.

“We are not expecting that Adeniran will be made a consensus candidate because he is not going to be a zonal chairman.  As a national chairman, he is going to be voted for by the delegates across the country.

“Therefore, nobody should expect anything like consensus candidate. If election is held today, we are sure of winning by at least 75 per cent of the votes. But we are going to do that on election day and not at any zonal meeting. ”

Akeju also mentioned that Adeniran is planning to meet with members of the National Assembly Caucus of the party.

In the same vein, another contender in the PDP chairmanship race Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, has also condenmed the selection of a consensus candidate for the positionof  the PDP national chairman

Adedoja, am erstwhile minister of Youths, expressed his disapproval of such candidacy selection while speaking with newsmwn in Abuja, noting that PDP had gone beyond ‘anointment’ for positions.

The aspirant applauded the role of governors in the party, mentioning the finacial burden they faced due to members refusal to pay dues.

The former Minister of Youths said, “The position of consensus is not within the election of 2019. The same consensus arrangement that produces a person in a large party will also remove that person. There is no room for it.

“The choice of the South-West should not be dictated. Let the other zones agree by delegates that the South-West has not occupied that seat. The position of the PDP today is beyond ‘anointment’.”

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Speaking on the influence of governors in the party, Adedoja said, “PDP governors should be commended for their roles. It has been a big financial burden for governors to keep bailing out the party because members are not paying their dues.

“Rather than saying the governors are not doing the right thing, I must commend them for coming to the aid of the party.”