₦airaland Forum

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By Emmanuel Obe


A governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Barr. Soloabo West, has condemned the purported resolution of the National Caucus of the PDP to the effect that all sitting governors and members of the National Assembly on the platform of the party should be returned unopposed.

In a press statement at the weekend, West, who is the main aspirant challenging Governor Nyesom Wike for the PDP ticket in Rivers State, said the resolution diametrically precludes interested party members from vying for those positions.
“Such blanket endorsement of sitting governors and members of the National Assembly for whatever reason,” he said, “is patently undemocratic and completely shuts the door to internal party democracy.”
He disclosed that efforts by some members of the Riverine Communities in Rivers State resident in Abuja, who had volunteered to pay for both his expression of intent and nomination forms since Thursday last week have been rebuffed.
He said, “Officers at the National Secretariat bluntly refused to accept the bank draft that was issued in the name of the party, ostensibly, to prevent me from exercising my fundamental right to freely participate in the democratic processes leading to the 2019 general elections.
“Our representatives were later informed by another officer at a late hour on Friday to effect a Bank Transfer through a POS terminal payable to the PDP which was unusual, a worrisome deviation from what had been the practice and tradition of obtaining both interest and nomination forms through the payment of Bank Draft.
“I wish to state categorically that the PDP in shutting the door to democratic participation in the PDP governorship primary elections, has wilfully opened the door for me and my supporters to seek for other avenues to fully exercise our rights to participate, unhindered, in the processes leading to the 2019 general elections.”
Barr West said the action of the national office of the party had confirmed his fears that there was indeed an arrangement to deny candidates from the riverine parts of Rivers State the opportunity to participate in the governorship primaries.
West, whose campaign is founded on equity, has been fighting for the right of the people from the riverine communities to also become governor of Rivers State.
“From the foregoing, it is clear that there is a grand plan to bar any candidate from the Riverine Communities of the state from participating in the governorship primary of the PDP in furtherance of the 2019 gubernatorial election. This is unfair,” he lamented.
West however said he was not giving up on his governorship aspiration as yet. “Our options are open as we believe in the Almighty God who gives power to continue to guide our steps. For we are indeed fighting a just and equitable cause,” he said.