BY AYO ESAN
A National Vice Chairmanship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming South West PDP Congress, Amb. Taofeek Arapaja, has urged the Lagos State chapter of the party to unite for success in subsequent elections.
He said the disunity among party members in the state was responsible for the PDP’s losses in past governorship elections.
He, however, added that if there was a need to appease and beg some members for the party to work as a team, he was ready to do that.
Arapaja, who spoke with THE POINT at the end of his campaign in Lagos State, appealed to aggrieved members of the party to sheathe their swords, saying with unity, the party would be too strong to handle by the APC.
“I appeal to members of Lagos State chapter of our party to bury their differences in the interest of the party, so that we can move forward,” he said.
He emphasised that the party needed unity of its members to win elections, adding that “when the party is in government, then it can meet the needs and yearnings of the electorate and members of the party.”
According to him, the APC is not better than the PDP but the party is having its way because of the division in the PDP.
Arapaja, who is a former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, said he came to Lagos for PDP members’ blessings, prayers and to seek their votes in the zonal Congress that would hold very soon.
He said, “This is also time to win Lagos State, and take power to where it belongs. We gave them (APC) opportunity because we did not work as a team. Lagos State is of strategic importance; we need to win the state, we should rise above petty jealousy. The objective is to take power from those people and restructure the party.
“These people have their way because we are not united. Let us stop wasting our time. If you have executive council without being in government, the executive council is useless. We are appealing to you, begging you to be united.”
On the forthcoming Congress of the party in the region, Arapaja said he thanked the party leaders in Lagos State for the welcome reception accorded him during his recent visit to the state.
“Let me commend the backing and support of our leaders in Lagos. Together we are going to raise the fortune of our party. People are tired of the APC’s deceit and are looking forward to the PDP. We will surely not fail them,” Arapaja told THE POINT.
