Aspirants for the Monday primaries for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have voiced the desire to maintain a legacy of good conduct in the primaries in the over all interest of the state and the party. This was part of the communiqué issued at the end of dialogue convoked in Asaba by some PDP stakeholders and a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Sonny Odogwu.
During the dialogue, aspirants openly displayed camaraderie and good spiritedness as they exchanged pleasantries and shared jokes.
The communiqué read: “Participants thanked Chief Sonny Iwedike Odogwu, CFR for his thoughtfulness in convening the dialogue and for his fatherly advice for the good of both the party and Delta State.
“The forum showed solidarity with the party and its leadership at all levels, stressing that the sacrifices of the leaders over the years have set the PDP apart from the crowd of political parties in the country.
“The forum commended the gubernatorial aspirants for the maturity and high level of responsibility which they displayed in their various consultations and interactions with party faithful and urged them to continue in that spirit in the primaries and thereafter.
“Participants highlighted the supremacy of party interest over personal interest and ambition, and pledged to abide by the decision of the party.
“The participants pledged to work together in the interest of the party to ensure success at the polls in all elections.
“The forum urged the party and those charged with the responsibility of organizing the primaries to discharge their duty with fairness, openness and justice, all of which have been the guiding principles of the PDP.
“The participants promised to bequeath a legacy of good conduct to all Deltans and Nigerians in general.
“The forum commended the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR which has translated to feasible and tangible improvement in infrastructure, more jobs created, a growing economy with current Gross Domestic Product (GDP) standing at over $500 billion, the largest in Africa.
“Whereas the forum strongly condemned acts of terror in a section of the country, it, however, urged the relevant security agencies to improve their inter-agency collaboration strategies in order to ensure victory over terror. It also urged the international community to cooperate with the Nigerian government in its effort to tame the scourge of terror.
“Participants urged all Nigerians to join hands with President Goodluck Jonathan in his effort to stamp out the monster of corruption which has eaten deep into all facets of our society”.
In his welcome remark, Chief Odogwu who is also a founding member of the PDP lauded the aspirants for the maturity, tolerance and respect for divergent views which they have espoused all through their consultations and interactions with their constituents.
Chief Odogwu applauded President Goodluck Jonathan “for his positive leadership which has translated to good governance across all sectors of human endeavour in spite of global disturbances of terrorism which, unfortunately, has spread across some countries in Africa and elsewhere. The entire world leaders, including President Goodluck Jonathan, are still battling against terrorism. Let us assist him and the peace loving people of the world with continuous prayers for Peace, Love and Tranquility, especially in Nigeria, being the largest black nation. His statecraft, humaneness and temperance have contributed immensely to the stability both within the PDP and the country at large.
“I acknowledge the effort of Mr. President in trying to stamp out corruption from our society. Let us therefore join hands with him to fight and destroy, once and for all, this terrible monster called corruption, which still rears its head in our society. We should not allow this monster to continue to destroy those basic principles of nationalism and Africanism that gave birth to African Democracy which the entire World has gracefully embraced.
“May I also take the liberty of the moment to thank the Executives of our party both in Delta State and at Federal level for their steadfastness to the ideals of the founding fathers of the party of which I am one. It is these ideals of free speech, party interest before self-interest, tolerance and respect for the rule of law that have kept the PDP united, stronger and better. Since the country returned to democracy in 1999, we have seen political parties come and go but these ideals have continued to bind us together as one indivisible family. We must, all of us, strive to make sure that these ideals do not only live in our hearts but remain the driving force behind all our actions”, he said.
