Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
A chieftain and governorahip aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state, Segun Showunmi, on Wednesday, declared that the G5 governors have no power to stop the victory of the Presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar at the February 25 election.
According to him, the five governors under the umbrella of the PDP, led by the River state governor, Nyesom Wike, were being deceived by their supporters to think that they have control over the votes in their states.
The G5 governors including Samuel Ortom, Seyi Makinde, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Benue, Oyo, Abia and Enugu states respectively, are opposed to the candidature of Atiku following the refusal of the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu to resign.
The governors have since distanced themselves from the campaign of Atiku.
But, Showunmi while condemning the act of the governors, insisted that Atiku would win the election with or without the support of the five governors.
Showunmi spoke in Abeokuta, during a workshop for party mobilisers and collation agents from all the 236 wards of Ogun state.
He said that the new Electoral Act has made it impossible for state governors to decide the outcome of elections in their states.
He added that members of the party endured the decision of Wike to foist Uche Secondus on the PDP as the national chairman of the party, saying it is now the turn of Wike to accept the decision of the party.
Showunmi noted that it would be foolish of any governor to think that he has the control of all the votes in his state, calling on the G5 governors to retrace their steps.
“Any second term governor who thinks that he has the power to control all the votes in his state is only deceiving himself.
“Anybody who jokes with the first election (presidential election/national assembly), doing any stupid deal with another party is risking the second election (governorship election).
“I would have preferred that, we didn’t have this issue, because if we didn’t have this issue, by now we would have been forming our cabinet, instead of spending our time on resolving the internal crisis, the election would have already been won even before the election day, because APC has not done well.
“People around Wike are just deceiving him, the crowd around him is already tilting out.
“By the grace of God and to the glory of the new Electoral Act that does not give anybody room for rigging, if you are a governor and they record over voting in your polling unit, the result will be cancelled, so where is your power?
“Even if you give people money, they may not still vote for you. You can see how all the candidates are struggling, if the election was easy why is Bola Tinubu not sitting down in Lagos and just issuing out instructions?
“I think that this election is the first election in recent times where the votes of the Nigerian people will count”, Showunmi stated.
He, however, charged leaders of the party in all the 236 wards of Ogun State to ensure they deliver their polling booths for the PDP, noting that the party in the state was prepared more than ever to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Showunmi added that the workshop would avail the participants ways and strategies to woo and mobilize the electorate in casting their votes for the PDP both the presidential and gubernatorial elections.
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