2023: PDP charges governorship candidates to reconcile with defeated aspirants

The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, on Tuesday urged the party’s governorship candidates to reconcile with defeated aspirants before the 2023 governorship elections.

He made the call while presenting Certificates of Return to the candidates at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja.

He advised them to remember that many were called but few were chosen.

Ayu said: “You were chosen to be our flag bearers at the forthcoming elections. Everybody who contested with you was also chosen.

“You must carry every member of the defeated aspirants’ communities along because they contributed in mobilising and growing our party.

“I want to sincerely thank you for the work you put in. And we hope you will continue to work hard because this is just the first step.”

The chairman declared that the PDP would win governorship seats in 25 states next year.

He said the PDP was confident of retaining all its 13 states because its governors had performed very well.

He added: “We believe that the PDP will go back to his winning ways. When we started in 1999, we were able to produce 21 governors; we grew that number in 2003 to 28 and sustained it at 28 up to 2007.

“Unfortunately, we came through hard times and the number declined. Today we have only 13 governors. For a political party of this stature, that number is not good enough.

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“All of you must, therefore, work very hard to reconcile with whoever opposes you, work with everybody, and carry everybody along.

“At the end of the day by next year, we should be able to come back to at least 25 governors.”

Ayu assured the PDP candidates that the party’s National Working Committee and all other stakeholders would give them the necessary support to emerge victorious in 2023.

The party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who was also at the forum, congratulated the candidates and urged them to work for PDP victory in 2023.

He said: “I want to assure all of you that we will work together as a team and make sure you are all brought back elected as governors in your respective states.

“I will ensure that we work together as a team in every state of this country to enthrone a PDP government.

“The question of saying that we are going to give a quarter of the country or so to the ruling party must not arise in this election.

“The processes which have made you to emerge are now history; what is before us is a task that we must all unite and achieve for this party and for Nigerians.”

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