The proposal to give automatic tickets to returning National Assembly members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the 2019 general election has ruptured the party in Kogi. The development has resulted in serious intra-party dispute.
Many of the senatorial aspirants and other stakeholders are kicking against it. This has led to uncertainty and threats of mass defection.
One of the groups kicking against the declaration is the PDP Youths and Masses Advocacy Group, which has declared the decision as impunity.
Addressing pressmen yesterday in Lokoja, the state coordinator of the group, Mallam Ahmed Suleiman, warned that failure to adhere to a level playing ground in the state primaries will not only lead to mass exodus but will kill the party in Kogi.
His words: “As a group with a firm belief in the ideals and manifestoes of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party, we stand to condemn any act of impunity that will likely give rise to imposition.
“The idea of an automatic ticket to representatives whose state the party is not having a governor is clearly and totally unacceptable. Any attempt at enforcing such will surely lead to mass exodus and the eventual collapse of the party at all level.
“Also, a kangaroo primary in whatever form would be vehemently resisted. Let the people decide; the people own the party and not those leading the party.
“The stand of the majority of people in the party supersedes all. The founding fathers of the party never contemplated automatic slot, if so, they would not have named it “people’s” party.
“We are a party trying to bounce back from an electoral defeat at the national level, an appraisal shows that impunity was a major factor that led to our failure, that impunity we would never tolerate any more, we shall resist it with the blood flowing in our veins.
“We maintain that a level playing ground be enabled, let the popularity of all the aspirants guarantee them victory, equally too, those incumbents seeking for a return ticket, let their scorecard or stewardship endear them to the people and not shifting the goal post in a manner to favour one aspirant or the other.
“We must pick a lesson from the past and make the necessary adjustments.”
