Abuja – The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday assured that it would conduct free and transparent primaries for upcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa.
Acting National Chairman of the party, Chief Uche Secondus, gave the assurance while receiving nomination form for the election from Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, who is seeking re-election.
Secondus said that the NWC would ensure a process that would be acceptable to the people of Kogi and Bayelsa in its primaries.
“Today we affirm that we are going to keep to our rules and party’s Constitution.
“After the primaries, if you are successful we will come to Bayelsa to campaign with you. This party must be open to all; this party must be taken back to the grassroots,’’ he told Dickson.
He said that the NWC would no longer tolerate any act of intimation and harassment of its members by the operatives of the Department of Security Services (DSS).
Secondus said that the party made the resolve following recent activities of security operatives, particularly the alleged ransacking of Akwa-Ibom Government House in the early hours of Friday.
Earlier, Dickson expressed optimism that the PDP would win the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Bayelsa, saying “no other party has the kind of support that PDP enjoys in the state.
“You have seen my supporters from all parts of the state and this is a practical testimony of the support being enjoyed by PDP; Bayelsa is in safe hands of the PDP’’.
He stated that with the number of leaders and stakeholders in the state who came with him to the party’s national headquarters, it was an indication that “no shaking for PDP in Bayesla.’’
The governor added that he was not re-contesting on the basis of promises but on developmental projects and programmes he had done in the state.
He also expressed confidence that the defection of some PDP members to another party was not going to affect his re-election.
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He dismissed the claim by some of the defected members that they had the support of elders, saying ‘’they are parading imaginary elders’’.
“It is not when a few people defect to other platforms that we will be affected. Political victory is achieved through concrete structures, not rented crowd,’’ Dickson said.
He said that his achievement cut across all sectors, including healthcare, road, education and human development, in all local government areas of the states.
On the relationship between him and Mrs Patience Jonathan, wife of immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan, Dickson said that there was no rift between them.
“As a rule, I do not want to be talking about my elder brother’s wife. There is no rift between us and she is campaigning everywhere for my re-election,’’ he said. (NAN)
