AT LAST! PDP concedes defeat, congratulates Aregbesola…Ija doopin!! THE national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has conceded defeat and congratulated Governor Rauf Aregbesola for his re- election. Senator Iyiola Omisore It also admonished the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to learn from the lessons of the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Osun State and “stop crying wolf where there is none.” In a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja, on Sunday, the ruling party also commended its candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, for what it observed was his impressive outing, which confirmed that “PDP commands massive followership in the state.” PDP, in the statement, said “after a careful appraisal of the overall conduct of the election, the national leadership of the PDP, in spite of perceived anomalies, hereby accepts the results and congratulates Governor Aregbesola for his re- election. “This is entirely in the interest of the growth of democracy, peace and political stability of the country, in line with PDP’s ideology and the visions of our founding fathers.” The party commended President Goodluck Jonathan for “creating the enabling environment for Osun people to freely and peacefully exercise their franchise without rancour or blood- letting,” adding that “such remains a clear testimony to his unparalleled commitment to peaceful elections in Nigeria.” It also praised the security forces for their display of professionalism in keeping the peace and ensuring the protection of lives and property during the exercise. The party, however, called on Nigerians to continue to note that for the APC, “elections are only free and fair when they win, while they are rigged when they lose,” adding that such was not acceptable in a democracy. While urging the APC to learn from the election and desist from actions and utterances that overheat the system and create room for violence, the PDP called on Nigerians to mark the trends and make their deductions regarding which party was actually committed to the survival and growth of democracy in Nigeria. The ruling party also called on its members and supporters to remain calm, while praising the people of Osun for adhering to rules and conducting themselves in an orderly manner during the election. PDP maintained that the success of the election is “a clear testimony to President Goodluck Jonathan’s unparalleled commitment to peaceful elections in Nigeria.” Meanwhile, Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun State governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on Sunday, said he was still consulting with relevant stakeholders before reacting to the outcome of the election. Omisore told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday that he had to engage in widespread consultation as a committed party man. The PDP standard- bearer, who spoke on phone through his spokesman, Mr Diran Odeyemi, said “he is not a tin god. He is a committed party man and 24 hours is too short to engage in widespread consultation. “Consultation is on with our men on the field. Meetings are already on and as soon as all these are concluded, we would issue a formal statement on the development.” He, however, expressed gratitude to God for the sustained peace before, during and after the election. Omisore also commended the people of the state for coming out to exercise their franchise.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 07:07:15 +0000