The immediate past National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, has called on the leaders of the party in Osun State to reconcile the members and ensure that it presents only a candidate without any liability for next year’s governorship election in the state.
According to Oladipo, only a “sellable” candidate without any “albatross” could defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress just like Senator Ademola Adeleke floored the candidate of the APC in the recently held Osun West By-election, Mudashiru Hussein.
Addressing journalists while being received by members of the Ali  Modu Sheriff’s faction of the PDP on Sunday in Ile-Ife, Oladipo disclosed that the party could not field any candidate, who would mortgage its future, stressing that without reconciliation, the party might not win the governorship poll.
He argued that the votes won by the PDP during the Osun by-election were a pointer to the fact that the party needed to reconcile its differences and redouble its efforts in order to rule the state again.
He said, “I exited Wadata House as the National Secretary of the PDP with joy and the only project I have now is to make sure we carry out all necessary reconciliation so that this party will win the governorship election next year. That is the commitment I am making between myself and the good people of Osun State. We understand their being, hunger and the misplaced priorities they are battling from the APC government.
“We will make sure we present an electable candidate, who will carry no albatross; a candidate who can easily win election just the way Ademola Adeleke won the senatorial by-election. I will contribute to rebuilding and rebranding the party. I am calling on the people presently saddled with managing our party  to reconcile everybody because their votes must count.”
On the judgement delivered by the Supreme Court in favour of Markafi, Oladipo said, ” The Supreme Court is supreme even though only God is supreme; but by nomenclature, that  is the highest court of the land.
Whether  you like the judgement or not is immaterial, the simple fact of it is that a judgment had been given, certain group of people is saddled with managing the affairs of our party and we have all agreed to work together so that come 2019, Nigerians can rejoice.”
Denying speculation that he was aspiring to govern Osun, the Ile Ife-born politician said, “At a point in time, I was in direct control of more than twenty governors from my office in Abuja; as we speak now, the eleven PDP governors that are serving right now, I signed their forms to INEC. I have been the National Secretary of this party; so, I don’t think there is a comparison between national secretary of PDP and being governor of Osun State. It is out of  it !
“But I will show very close interest in who becomes the governor of this state for two reasons. One, I want the progress of Osun State; we want somebody who will not mortgage the future and present of this generation and the one to come; somebody who will make PDP popular again by performing very well; a home grown governor, not an imported governor.
“PDP scored 97,000 votes while  APC surprisingly scored almost 66,000 votes; to me, it was too high for the APC. So, we  have to redouble our efforts; we have to introduce a sellable candidate; we must get it right. we must not field a candidate that carries albatross on his neck. The party will look for the best candidate that everyone would support,” he assured.
