Pat Stevens/
Oyo State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has been appointed chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for the Kogi State gubernatorial election.
The campaign councils for Kogi and Bayelsa States were jointly inaugurated at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, today. Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi heads the Bayelsa council.
Also inaugurated is the party’s National Reconciliation Committee for Bayelsa and Kogi States headed by a former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
In his acceptance speech, Makinde promised that his committee would run issue-based campaigns in the Kogi State and do the party proud.
He said that the elections in the two states were an opportunity for the electorate “to press the reset button” that will end in the ultimate victory for the party in 2023.
The PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, while inaugurating the committee and two campaign councils urged the Saraki committee to reconcile all aggrieved PDP leaders and members in the two states.
He said that the party should not go into in both Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections as a divided house.
Secondus, who expressed confidence in the members of the campaign councils, advised them to work for the victory of the party in the two states.
He said that the campaign council had the task of ensuring that the electoral desires of the people of the two states were realised.
“I charge you to make sure that you bring the best of our programme for the two states during your campaign.
“Preach one man, one vote; obey all the rules and the laws of the land, because we are a party that believe in the rule of law.
“Make sure that we win in Bayelsa and Kogi states,” Secondus said, adding that the party had credible and best candidates for the two states.
Secondus advised INEC to be neutral in the conduct of the elections to ensure that they were free, fair and credible.
He called on the international community and all lovers of democracy to show more than passing interest in the forthcoming elections in the two states.
Secondus also advised President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC to enforce peace and the rule of law in the country.
On his own part, Saraki said that his committee would do its best to reconcile all aggrieved members in the two states.
“The work of winning Kogi and Bayelsa starts with reconciliation and end with reconciliation, because the two states belong to PDP,” he said.
Also speaking, Mohammed said that the issue of reconciliation in Bayelsa was half done, as former President Goodluck Jonathan had directed him to accept the responsibility.
“I am taking this responsibility with the seriousness and energy that it deserves. Politics is not a joke.
“If the other side is planning evil, we will plan excellence. If they are planning violence, we will plan peace. If they are planning a loss, we will plan victory,” he said.
