PDP chieftain cautions aspirants over ethnic, zonal sentiments Dr Kola Balogun, a former Commissioner for Commerce in Oyo State, on Monday urged governorship aspirants on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform in the state to desist from ``parochial, ethnic and zonal sentiments’’. Balogun, a chieftain of the, told newsmen in Ibadan that the call by some aspirants that the partys flag bearer should come from Ibadan Zone was undemocratic. He said that the state comprised five zones - Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, Oyo and Ibarapa, adding that the governor could be picked from any of the zones. ``I am an original Ibadan man and I believe in collectivity, likewise equity. A particular zone cannot lay claim to the state as long as the governor is not going to be that of a zone. ``Democratic primaries must be held to produce a popular and generally accepted candidate, irrespective of the zone the person hails from. ``The party won in Ekiti because a popular candidate that emerged from a primary election was presented,’’ he said. The former commissioner said that the party was not opposed to anyone expressing his constitutional rights, adding that such rights must not be based on zonal sentiment. ``Assuming a popular candidate like Ayodele Fayose was not chosen in Ekiti, the party would have lost the election,’’ he said. The PDP chieftain commended President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, for providing a level playing ground for candidates to emerge, adding that it had started yielding results
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 16:40:08 +0000
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