PDP chairmanship: Momentum gathers for Dokpesi’s emergence

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As S/South, S/East drum support

DELEGATES from the six states of the South South and the five
states of the South East regions have pledged support for the candidacy of High
Chief Raymond Dokpesi as the national chairman of the party ahead of the
National Convention billed for August 17 in Port Harcourt, River State capital.

The delegates expressed their support to work with Dokpesi,
noting that he has started a new dawn in the party with his visit to delegates
in their respective states to canvass for their votes. They hinted that

After receiving the blessings of the royal father of Agenebode
on Monday, Dokpesi embarked on his tour and by Thursday, he has visited the
eleven states of the South South and South East region; namely Edo, Delta,
Anambra, Imo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and Cross River
states.

High Chief Raymond Dokpesi maintained that the vision of the
founding fathers of the party was a united platform that will meet the needs
and aspirations of all Nigerians, irrespective of their tribe or religion. He
said the vision was to have “a big umbrella that unifies all Nigerians toward
achieving a collective goal for the country. 

“PDP was envisioned by the founding fathers to serve the
interest of all Nigerians irrespective of where they come from, their language
or religion. PDP remains the party that was founded for all Nigerians,” he
told delegates.

The chairmanship hopeful of the PDP vowed to rebuild and
reposition the party if elected at the party’s national convention, stating
that he has the asset, the goodwill and the experience to transform PDP and
reposition it for 2019 elections so that power will return to Nigerians as
envisaged by the founding fathers.

He said his records as a pioneer of successful projects in the
past rightly position him as the right man to lead the rebuilding process of
the PDP.

“We started well but we missed it at a point. We abandoned
zoning principle and were far from the electorates; we paid for it in 2015.

“It is proper to right the wrongs and start from the foundation
to restore the lost glory of the party. I have come to solicit for your prayer,
support and endorsement. My record puts me in the right perspective to rebuild
this party. I am a pioneer at building and rebuilding. My record at African
Ocean line, the first indigenous shipping line in Africa, which was a
collaborative efforts of late Shehu Yar adua, late M.K.O Abiola and Chief
Bamanga Tukur and my humble self. I started the first private radio broadcast
with Raypower. You are all witnesses to what we have achieved with AIT when we
started 24 hours broadcast. I understand the pain of building and
rebuilding. We must not allow PDP to die,” he said.

“There is no faction. It is a group of persons living in
the past, in the era of impunity. They will not succeed because the will of God
and the wishes of the 99.99 per cent party faithful will prevail,” he said
on the alleged crisis in the party.

He said the party needs a leader that will serve as an umbrella
for Nigerians, pledging to return power to the people. He said he is ready to
lead a strong, united and credible PDP that will win elections in 2019 and
ensure Nigerians have the dividends of democracy. He praised successive PDP
governors in the South East and South South for delivering the dividends of
democracy while lampooning the APC for failing to fulfil its electoral
promises.

“The APC has shown they came to power by accident with no
clear plan on how to govern the country. They lack the required capacities and
experiences to lead Nigeria.”

“Prior to the 2015 general election, they called PDP and
our presidential candidate many names but today, do they have any clue of
governance? The cost of kerosene, diesel, tomatoes, garri, rice and others are
at all-time high,” he said amidst applause from the delegates.

The leadership of the party in the states visited showered
encomium on him and pledged support for his candidacy. His home state, Edo,
endorsed and pledged to woo other states to support him. In Rivers, he was
described as a first class candidate worthy of transforming the party.

“I am almost tempted by your credentials to say why are you
bothering yourself coming to us because we are your sons. You are a first class
candidate. Your name rings bell in the heart of everybody because of your
credentials. With your establishment, you gave a voice to the masses. You are a
supporter of youths and a champion of democracy,” Rivers State PDP chairman,
Felix Obuah said.

The Akwa Ibom State PDP chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo, described him
as an illustrious son of Nigeria, especially the South South while the Abia State
chairman of PDP, Chief Johnson Onuigbo pledged that the state will ‘back’ him
as a mother back his baby.

“PDP is facing a critical challenge and we require an
experienced, intelligent and God-fearing leader like you. You are qualified to
lead the party. We will take your message to our leader, the governor of the
state that you have met the delegates and offered to serve the party. We are
united and we will not disappoint you at the convention. From the reception and
the reactions of delegates to your speech, you can see that you are at home and
we are for you,” the Ebonyi State PDP chairman, Barrister Onyeka Nwebonyi
said.

It was
the same message in the other states of the regions visited by his team, made
up of former Chief Whip of the Senate, Victor Kassim Oyofo; Edo state PDP
organizing secretary, Hon. Henry Duke Tenebe; former chairman of PDP Kaduna,
Chief Abubakar Gaiya Haruna and his Nasarawa counterpart, Chief Yunaha Iliya.
Others are Mrs. Kafilat Ogbara, Prince Lekan Tejuoso, Benson Olaoluwa, Sola
Kuti among others.