The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday inaugurated its National Campaign Council for Imo State, confident that after the Supreme Court judgement that handed power to Governor Hope Uzodinma in 2020, it will retrieve the state from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November gubernatorial election.
The chairman of the campaign council and Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, made the declaration at the ceremony in Abuja, admonishing, however, that party members must be mindful of their campaign language and actions.
He affirmed that Imo State is a PDP state going by its victory in the 2019 election, which was later awarded to the APC candidate by the apex court.
Lawal observed that the PDP would be contesting the November 11 exercise as an opposition party aware of the challenges, which he said the campaign will overcome.
“The election is crucial because it will determine the future of Imo State. We are aware of the challenge and we will surmount them. We pledge to deliver on the assignment before us,” he said.
The Zamfara governor promised that the campaign council will deliver on its mandate, noting that the knowledge and expertise of the members of the council will be invaluable towards success of the PDP campaign in Imo.
He urged the council members to demonstrate integrity, unity, and clear vision that resonate with the people of Imo, urging that they must conduct the campaign in a way that reflects the value of the PDP
Lawal said the campaign council must do well to ensure that the lives of the people are positively touched.
He added: “Our aim is to bring genuine change to the lives of people we serve, not just to win the election.
“Our credibility depends on our ability, to be honest and transparent. We have considered various strategies to ensure success. Let us not lose sight of the bigger goal. Our campaign must focus on security, education, healthcare infrastructure, and job creation, among others.
“Let’s all come together, put our strategies in place, and secure victory for our candidate and our party. Together we will deliver Imo State in November 2023.”
In his remark, the Imo State Governorship candidate, the PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, said the election is not a fight between him and incumbent Governor Uzodinma but about the people of Imo State.
Anyanwu, who is also the national secretary of the party, said the PDP won the election in 2019 but that the victory was taken away by the Supreme Court in 2020.
The gubernatorial candidate explained that he chose the Zamfara governor to serve as chairman of his campaign council “because you came out of a war zone and defeated an incumbent governor.”
“Two, You are very young and energetic, just as I am, and together, as young people, we will bring back the glory of Imo State,” he stated.
He said that since his emergence as the party’s flag bearer, he has been to 24 of the 27 local government areas in among which he said are areas that the incumbent governor cannot venture to go.
Anyanwu said: “Election is not about money but the willingness of the people to change the tide. The people have suffered so much. I have the determination to bring back PDP to Imo State. If we don’t bring back PDP to Imo, there will be problems for the party. We must do all that is necessary to win Imo state. I won’t let the party down when elected.”
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