By Yohana Samson
The National Working Committee of the Proples Democratic Party, PDP, has initiated a broad based reconciliation effort to get stakeholders on board ahead of the up coming Kogi State Governorship elections .
As a follow up to an earlier meeting by major Kogi State PDP stakeholders in Lokoja, the national body convened another meeting at the party’s National Headquarters , in Abuja, on Wednesday.
In his address at the event, Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, said, “We have already seen prospects in the coming election in Kogi election, so this meeting is to know your challenges are and to know how to work on the reconciliation before the election.
“This reconciliation will take three stages from the ward, local government and state. I am glad most of the Senior Stakeholders are here and they are supposed to anchor that reconciliation. Because we from outside the state we can only encourage you to work on the reconciliation.
“I am delightful to tell you that the Osun State Governor who is the Chairman of the Kogi Campaign committee has promised that he will go to each zone to seat down with you on a Zonal basis. He will campaign in all these places and he is very much alive to this responsibility in Kogi.
“In this meeting, we want your leaders to tell us where they want us to come in, so that we can work together for victory.” Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the PDP candidate for the Kogi election, Senator Dino Melaye , said, “PDP is going to win the election in Kogi State, because we have never had it so bad in the history of Kogi State.
“Our people were impoverished, salaries have not been paid, pension have not been paid, gratuity has not been paid, the health sector is non existent, in fact all the General Hospitals in the state are mere consulting clinics.
“Education has gone moribund, this is what the PDP is coming to ameliorate and palate. I want to assure you that by the grace of God. With the resolutions of this meeting, with the strategy adopted in this meeting, PDP is good to go in Kogi State.
“My charge to Kogi State is that they should not be Intimidated by the APC, by the threat, violence, the humiliation by the APC should not deter them from exercising their Democratic rights. I want to assure you that we will protect our people.”
