‘Divided party can’t win election’ — Ondo PDP asks members to be united

Tola Alebere, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo, says members of the party should unite ahead of the governorship election in the state.

Alabere spoke in Akure, the state capital, on Wednesday at a training organised for media aides of PDP governorship aspirants.

Alabere urged PDP members in the state to work together, noting that a divided party cannot win an election.

“I want to admonish you to be good ambassadors of PDP,” he said.

“This is because, if your principals are not members of the PDP, you won’t be here today. The main reason for this programme is to tell you that PDP is the party in Ondo state.

“I must tell you that I don’t see PDP as an opposition party in the state because we’re supposed to be in government.

“It is the PDP itself that usually works against the party when it comes to election. We will divide ourselves after the primary.

“In 2019, I was the senatorial chairman for the south and Dr Eddy Olafeso (former national vice-chairman (south-west) can testify to the fact that after the primary, members of the party in the south worked together because there was unity. We made sure that all the differences amongst the aspirants were resolved.”

Alabere said the PDP won four national assembly seats in 2019 despite being an opposition party, attributing it to the unity among members at the time.

“We got that results because there was unity,” he said.

“The roles all of you are playing today are not geared towards bringing the aspirants together. What you write on social media platforms is not geared towards strengthening the party.

“If aspirant ‘A’ should win the primary, he will need the support and cooperation of other aspirants.

“But the moment you come in between your principal and other aspirants, will they be ready to support him when he wins? So, you have a major role to play in uniting the party.

“I want to advise you to conserve the energy you are putting to bring down co-aspirants with your principal for APC.”

Also speaking, Olafeso expressed confidence in the ability of the PDP to secure victory in the upcoming governorship election.

“With the future, we have shared together in PDP, no matter the challenges we are facing at this moment, we are very sure and confident that the future will be better and that PDP will take back power and connect to do what it did in the past to develop Ondo and Nigeria. I am very confident that we will return,” he said.