By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Mr Soalabo West, has kicked against the purported resolution of the national caucus of the party, allowing all sitting governors and members of the National Assembly on the platform of the PDP to be returned unopposed.
“Such blanket endorsement of sitting governors and members of the National Assembly for whatever reason is patently undemocratic and completely shuts the door to internal party democracy,” Mr West fumed.
Speaking in a statement Sunday, the lawyer and politician further said, “On my part, some members of the riverine communities in Rivers State resident in Abuja, who had volunteered to pay for both my expression of intent and nomination forms tried without success for two days to purchase the interest and nomination forms at the PDP national secretariat, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.”
He expressed dismay that officers at the national secretariat bluntly refused to accept the bank draft that was issued in the name of the party, ostensibly, to prevent him from exercising his fundamental right to freely participate in the democratic processes leading to the 2019 general elections.
He also noted that their 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.
Mr West stated categorically that the PDP in shutting the door to democratic participation in the PDP governorship primary elections, has wilfully opened the door for him and his supporters to seek for other avenues to fully exercise their rights to participate, unhindered, in the processes leading to the 2019 general elections.
“It is clear that there is a grand plan to bar any candidate from the Riverine Communities of the state in participating in the governorship primary of the PDP in furtherance of the 2019 gubernatorial election. This is unfair,” he declared.
“In the meantime 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,” said Mr West.
Adedapo Adesanya