A chairmanship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Kogi state chapter, Muhammad Omuya has said that the National Working Committee of the party has not directed the retention of the outgoing executives in the state.
He said, instead the NWC has only said that the positions should be retained in the senatorial districts where they are currently domiciled, saying that the claim of some of the party leadership contradicts the directive of the NWC.
Speaking in Lokoja Sunday in Lokoja, Muhammad said he was in the race to salvage the party from its present pitiable state and imminent collapse, noting that the party has been relegated to the background where it has lost almost all elective positions in the last four years.
“As a foundation member of the party since 1998, I felt the need to salvage the party. I have what it takes to contribute my quota in the ongoing move to restructure and reposition the party for effective performance.
“There was no directive from the national secretariat of the party to return the current executives. The party was very explicit on this.
“In fact, the PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, was in Kogi state two weeks ago to announce the time table for the state congresses and he made it clear that all the positions should be retained in their current senatorial zones and not to retain the outgoing executives.
“He equally added that the positions could also be rotated amongst the senatorial districts. He even stressed that if anyone is not satisfied with the arrangement put in place by the national leadership of the party, such a person can obtain his form to contest the election during the congresses”
He noted that the party has declared the reconstitution of a new state working committee and not the affirmation of the current executives, adding that since the chairmanship position was zoned to the central senatorial district where he hails from, he was eminently qualify for the position.
On his chances of winning the election, Muhammad said that he has consult widely and have gotten the assurances of major stakeholders of the party, saying that he is a candidate to beat in the election.
“The responses I am getting is that members of our party are yearning for a change that will bring prosperity to our party. The outgoing executives have done their best, I am not blaming anyone but there is the desire to inject new blood, new ideas, new action, new ways of winning election into the system for better performance.
“The fortune of the party has dwindled in the last four years. We had the governor, three senators, nine House of Representatives members, 17 house of assembly members. But today we only have one senator, one House of Representatives member and that is all.
“We do not have any member in the House of Assembly. Can we continue like that? I believe that I can bring in new ideas to help rejuvenate, bring in new ideas to restore the lost glory of the party.
“I have been a party man, I have contested elections and I know what it takes to win elections. I have been carrying out party activities in the last fifteen years from local government, senatorial level up to the state level, so it is not new to me what it takes to run a vibrant party structure” he said.
