My attention has been drawn to various reports and accounts about yesterday’s visit of a delegation of leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West to the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, and wish to state as follows:

· That my sincere appreciation goes to the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the respectable members of the NWC, for the warm reception they accorded us.

· I also wish to thank members of the Zonal Executive Committee, which comprised of the Chairmen of the PDP in the six South West states, leaders and elders of the party in the South West, for being part of the delegation.

· It has also become imperative for me to make a few clarifications. The first is that the visit was not done to choose or pronounce anyone as the leader of the PDP in the South West. Rather, it was to pledge our support for the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led NWC. All that happened on the occasion was fortuitous. It is also true that people like to have a rallying point, and if some of our leaders and elders see me as a rallying point because of my generosity and empowerments activities over the years, I do not see why anyone should lose sleep over it. Leaders emerge naturally. I also know that leadership comes with responsibility and I accept the responsibility. I appreciate all our party leaders and elders for the confidence reposed in me and will continue to appreciate them. However, it does not mean that I am the foremost or supreme leader of the PDP in the South West. I am just one of the leaders of the PDP in the South West. I do know that I have other superior leaders in the PDP Governors in the zone, Chief Olabode George, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun and other members of the National Caucus, Board of Trustees and the National Executive Committee (NEC), whom I respect and will always do.

· On our proposal that the National Chairmanship of the party should remain in the North, I wish to state that it was the opinion of the delegation. We were and are still of the view that given the strong presence of the PDP in the South, with 10 governors out of 17 governors in the South and just two governors in the 19 states in the North, it would make more sense to leave the National Chairmanship of the party in the North, so as not to be branded a regional party. Our view does not foreclose any other opinion or suggestion. If some other persons have any other idea, they are at liberty to push it. At the end of the day, it is either superior argument wins or we go to the convention. For us, as true party men, whatever is best for our party and majority of the stakeholders is all we want.

Signed

Senator Buruji Kashamu

Ogun East Senatorial District.

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