Osun 2018: Defeating APC won’t be tea party ―PDP gov aspirant

AGAINST the build-up to September 22, 2018 governorship poll in Osun, one of the gubernatorial contenders on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state, Mr Rasheed Olawale on Saturday said defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the election would not be a tea party.

In a statement signed by Olawale, which was made available to Tribune Online in Osogbo, he cautioned the rank and file of the opposition party to avoid complacency, saying concrete efforts and effective preparations must be made to field a credible and experienced candidate that can guarantee electoral victory for the PDP.

According to the statement, the governorship aspirant, who was addressing his supporters in Iwo community maintained that “defeating the APC in the coming poll is not going to be a tea party.”

“The statement reads, “the only way to easily defeat the ruling party is to field a truly competent, qualitatively experienced, new age, credible, an unblemished candidate from the right senatorial district and zone. Osun people are waiting to endorse PDP in September but they won’t accept recycled leaders who contributed to the malaise facing the state.”

“Our people won’t accept stone age candidacy in a 21st-century state with close to 65 percent of youths as voters. Our people will reject jesters and unserious leaders dwelling on the past as if governance is about swimming pool party. It is false to think Osun people will accept anybody fielded by the PDP irrespective of his sordid past in government or his cluelessness about governance.”

“Somebody said if we present a dog, it will beat APC. That is a serious fallacy. Osun people are not ready to jump from frying pan to fire. They want a solution provider, a candidate who was never part of the rot and a new age governor who can apply modern tools to resolve contemporary challenges.”

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While commending the national and state leadership of the party for ongoing rebuilding efforts, the governorship aspirant, who was once political editor with the Nigerian Tribune noted that “the party must look forward instead of backward if we are really interested in securing victory in September. Any process that produces a flawed candidate is definitely going to generate a failure in September.

“By contrast, any process that produces the right credible, marketable, consensus- building candidate is in the best interest of the party. These are delicate days for our leaders at Wadata and Osogbo.Prince Uche Secondus, Hon Soji Adagunodo and all national and state leaders need our prayers”, he told his teeming supporters”.