Elders want Atiku to revisit campaign council’s composition, root for Dokpesi
NCFront rejects opportunists, infiltrators, political jobbers in Obi’s PCC
A political support group within the People’s Democratic Party, “Elders Forum for Atiku 2023’’, has warned the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to revisit the composition of the Presidential Campaign Council.
The group stated that this became necessary to avoid the mistake made in 2019 where the Director-General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation, Gbenga Daniel, defected to another party.
The group stated in a protest letter to Atiku that he should make Raymond Dokpesi the director general of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation 2023.
The group titled its letter to Atiku as: “Protest against the composition of directors in the national campaign management committee.’’
The letter was signed by its National Coordinator, Lawrence Okojie and the National Secretary, A.K Peters.
It stated in the letter that its attention had been drawn to the list of the newly-appointed directors in the National Campaign Management Committee.
“We, the Elders Forum for Atiku 2023, write to protest the composition of the Directors and Deputy Directors at the NCMC.
“We strongly believe that proper considerations were not taken in arriving at these appointments as not all the Deputy Directors-General are duly committed in the matter.
“We believe that competence, loyalty, sincerity, experience and resilience in the struggle should be the essential ingredients that should have been considered in the selection of directors and deputy directors of the NCMC.
“We, therefore, strongly request that His Excellency should revisit these developments and do the needful to spare us a “Gbenga Daniel Part 2’’ in this 2023 presidential run,’’ the group stated.
It advised Abubakar to ensure that a person of repute such as Dokpesi is appointed the Director-General Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation 2023.
It added that the group believed in the capacity of Dokpesi to mobilise and work with everyone for the success of the PDP at the 2023 general elections.
“It is on record that from national sensitisation to the success at the presidential primary, the galvanising role of Dokpesi as leader of the Presidential Technical Committee cannot be undermined moving forward,’’ it added.
Okojie, who led members of the forum in a protest to submit the letter at the Abuja residence of Atiku on Wednesday, told journalists that the PDP needed Dokpesi to coordinate the affairs of APCO.
He said that even before anyone identified with Atiku’s presidential ambition, Dokpesi took it upon himself to mobilise support for the candidate and carried everyone along.
Okojie said the forum with its coordinators in all the 36 states and members across the grassroots were ready to work in all the polling units for Atiku’s success.
The National Women Leader of the forum, Deborah Makinwa, said they needed Dokpesi to continue where he stopped.
Mrs. Makinwa, who said that she had been supporting Atiku from zero party to now, urged him to employ more women into his campaign council.
Some of the inscriptions on the banners carried by the protesters were “we want Dokpesi to remain the champion of the presidential campaign’’, “activate the presidential campaign without delay’’, “allow the D-Gs to choose their Deputy Directors’’.
Similarly, leaders and allies of the National Consultative Front, NCFront, the umbrella platform of the 3rd Force Movement in Nigeria, including key Support Groups and the 40Million Ballots Movement, have rejected the Presidential Campaign Council list released on Wednesday in Abuja by the Labour Party and close associates of the presidential candidate Peter Obi.
The stakeholders and allies of the NCFront-3rd Force Movement, who adopted the Labour Party as its 3rd Force Mega Party for the 2023 Elections in May this year with over 20 million members, condemned the PCC for accommodating some opportunists, infiltrators and political jobbers who will constitute a major liability to the campaign.
They also took a swipe at the list for being filled with wrong positioning and placements of members and for being heavily lopsided due to the lack of due consultations required for such important and sensitive exercises.
In a statement jointly signed by Communication Executive of NCFront -3rd Force Mega Coalition of Nigeria, Bilikis Bello and Kennedy Iyere, Convener, 40 Million Ballots Movement, the group argued that despite sending a robust list of leaders, zonal, state coordinators and key associates of the NCFront to enrich the PCC and make it inclusive and resourceful, the inputs and effort of the NCFront were jettisoned as the final list was heavily coloured by favoritism.
“The NCFront leadership, stakeholders and allies are therefore demanding for complete overhauling of the demoralizing and demobilizing PCC list before next week, as the list in some cases includes the names of some known active members of PDP and APC and opportunistic elements, who are used to reaping from where they have not sown.
“The leadership and stakeholders of the 3rd Force Movement however warn that failure to review and correct the PCC List by this weekend will be followed by a major leadership and stakeholders meeting of all aggrieved Allies of the 3rd Force Movement to review the movement’s continued alliance in Labour Party, which may lead into fresh negotiations with other like-minded political parties and allies, who will be appreciative and accommodating of its rescue agenda with full respect for the teeming members and leadership of the 3rd Force Movement.
