2027: George, Ogunkelu, Ashorobi, Others Meet In Lagos … Call For Unity Amongst Stakeholders

Ahead of 2027 general elections, elders and leaders of the Lagos Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday met to discuss the way forward to boost the electoral fortune of the Party.

The consensus at the ‘Stakeholders’ Meeting was that party leaders must forge a unity in order to chat a roadmap for victory in 2027.

Former national deputy leader, Chief Olabode George, said the meeting was to deliberate on the future of the party and the present socio-economic malady plauiging the nation.

According to him, “Nigerians have seen the difference between the PDP and APC and obviously, Nigerians are yearning for a return of PDP to set the country on the path of recovery.

“So, the honest question we should be asking ourselves today is “Where did we get it wrong?”

“As a life member of the Board of Trustees (BoT), the Upper Chamber and the conscience of our party, my appeal today is to all members, young and old, from the North to the South, that we have another golden opportunity, before the next election in 2027, to bury our differences and put on our thinking caps.

“We should do everything humanly possible to ensure that the PDP does not go into the dustbin of history in 2027. God forbid this should happen to our party.

“So, this is the time for all elders and members of PDP to be concerned about the future of our great party,” the PDP leader said.

To George, inclusiveness of all members are ingredients to a viable strategy for PDP future electoral success.

He added: “Some might say 2027 is still far away but realistically, it is not, By 2026 two years from now), politicking will start for the 2027 elections.

“So, I reiterate my solidarity to the tenets of our party constitution and we should not allow the collective unity of this party to be fragmented.

“How we collectively address the issues at stake will be a major determinant of the fate of this party in months and years to come.

“It is our determination to ensure that the PDP returns to the Presidential Villa in Abuja and take over Governance in Lagos State on May 29, 2027 but, we can only do this if we are united, not divided.”

Noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), that took over from PDP in 2015, had not done well to build nation’s economy, Goerge said that crises in many PDP states chapters must be resolved.

He said: “Nigerians are waiting for us in 2027 but we must put our house in order. This is the time to promote justice, fairness and equity in our party.

“We are beginning the drive to the process of uniting the party today with this meeting in Lagos.”

The PDP leaders recommended that a zonal committee should go round the states and zones in the next six months to calm frayed nerves and encourage genuine reconciliation.

According to him, the party is where it is today because of self-inflicted crisis and now is the time reconciliation should be on top of our agenda.

Bode George added: “We should bury our Individual ambition now and not allow the PDP to crumble. We have no choice than to put our house in order.

“We are brothers and sisters, so we should put on our thinking caps to achieve a collective goal.

“I want to state clearly that as one of the founding fathers and a former Deputy National Chairman of our party, I will never do or say anything against the interest of this party but I abhor and hate injustice at al levels.”

Goerge said, as a tireless defender of democracy who always fight for equity and Justice for all with respect to the constitutions of this nation and the party, he had never left the party no matter what situation.

He said how the party stakeholders collectively address the issues at stake would be a major determinant of the fate of this party in 2027.

The PDP chieftain said: “At close to 80 years, I am not looking for any position but I strongly believe that PDP is the only party that can save our State.

“So, members of this great party must be ready to seize this opportunity to move our dear State forward.

“We should not allow any sentiment-ethnic or religion to divide us. Unless we are united, with equity, fairness and justice being the pedestal for any political decision taken, this party will be heading to disaster in 2027.

“If we want to win the 2027 Gubernatorial election, in Lagos, we must have a very strong, iron-clad and formidable PDP in the build up to the 2027 elections. We should not allow ourselves to be divided.

“We must change the narratives now so that we don’t embark on a suicide mission, a self-destructive journey for our party in 2027. Lagos residents are waiting for us in 2027 to kick APC out of Alausa.”

While commending the convener of the meeting, Prince Tommy Ogungbe, Goerge poured encomiums on PDP’s founding fathers such as Chief Solomon Lar, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Chief Bola Ige, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and others.

He said that these leaders did not allow personal Interests to overshadow the collective interests of the party, saying “This is the time for us to emulate them and eschew bitterness.”

“The PDP is a good vehicle to drive this country to a safe, secure, democratic, prosperous and viable destination.

“This is the time to start serious reconciliation. We should also avoid a repeat of the pitfall of the past. We should not confuse a single defeat as a final defeat.

In his remark, Mr Philip Aivoji, the Lagos State PDP Chairman commended party leaders and elders, noting that the meeting would chat a road map for the stronger and more cohesive PDP in the party.

Aivoji explained that ,” Reconciliation is the key, our strength lies in our unity. We are on track, we are focused.

“We must bring everybody together and bring the party to its old glory. By His Grace, 2027 is ours,” he said.

Also speaking, a former minister of integration and cooperation in Africa, Dr Bimbo Ogunkelu said reconciliation is the key to stop the ruling party in 2027, adding that most of the crisis in the PDP could be linked to the APC.

Continuing, he said, ” We must work together to build our party. We have to restructure our party so that PDP can be in power. And also, you may discover that there’s other party’s hands in our fighting. “

Speaking in the same vein, Alhaji Muritala Ashorobi, former Lagos State chairman of the PDP commended the Convener for his foresight.

Ashorobi maintained that unity and inclusivess are the conditions precedent to the party’s electoral success in future elections.

In his welcome address, the Convener, Ogungbe, commended the party’s stakeholders for considering it necessary to meet for reconciliation.

He said the party’s performance in 2023 general elections in the state was the worst since 1999, adding that divisions, greed and disunity have been the bane of the PDP in Lagos state.

He said that the poor outing necessitated the stakeholders meeting in order to make the party great again.