After the outcome of the general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can no longer live in denial as to why it lost the elections, especially in its stronghold of North-Central like Kogi, Benue and Plateau States to be specific. As a party, we must come to term with the prevailing political reality; value the existence of public perception as against the deceptive interest of a few and work very hard without compromising the truth to regain our political stardom by serving the people.
As the Kogi governorship election draws near, our group is not hesitating to tell our party a timely truth, because the future and the political fortune of the PDP matter to us greatly beyond Kogi State. No more should we allow the interest of an individual or a group to undermine the overall interest of the party, its fortune and good governance at any level. Kogi State is critical to the political revival of the PDP ahead of Bayelsa, Edo and Ondo States governorship polls.
We want to humbly make it abundantly and sincerely clear to the leadership of our great party – the National Working Committee (NWC), the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the governors forum that His Excellency, Governor Idris Wada, cannot win the Kogi governorship election, even if it is conducted 100 times. With due respect to Gov. Wada, he has tried his best but the current political reality in Kogi is such that, just any credible and known politician on the platform of another known party will defeat Gov. Wada. No amount of contrived adoptions, sponsored campaigns and fabricated pronouncements can make Gov. Wada to win the election.
The situation is very bad for the PDP with Gov Wada, and for this ‘advisory’ not to be misinterpreted as a calculated or deliberate plan to halt his second term bid, we urge the leadership of our party to urgently conduct an unbiased, independent and sincere investigation to assess the situation in Kogi State. We candidly suggest that our party should quickly constitute a high-powered committee to liaise with Gov. Wada and prevail on him not to contest, including brokering necessary deal to give him a soft landing for a graceful exit.
The consequences of getting it wrong with Kogi State will be far more painful than the outcome of the general elections for the PDP because we have all the facts at our disposal to act and save our party from another electoral misfortune. Nevertheless, Kogi State governorship election could be salvaged if we can take a bold, painstaking and firm decision in the interest of the people and field a credible and popular candidate.
Dare Atoye
National Coordinator
Sufuyan Ojeifo
Editor- in- Chief
The Congresswatch Magazine
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