Former Education Minister, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, has declared that he didn’t attend the zonal meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Monday.
He also dismissed the purported ratification of one of the aspirants to the National Chairmanship of the party.
Adeniran, who had picked the nomination form for the position on the same day, denied the reports which stated that he was at the meeting, hosted by Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
In a statement by his media aide, Yemi Akinbode, Adeniran said that the Akure meeting was designed from the onset to ratify the candidacy of a minority member of the party from the South-West, hence his decision not to be part of it. “What happened in Akure is tantamount to working from the answer to the question; it was not set out to be transparent and democratic,” he stated.
He said that all the aspirants who obtained the nomination forms should be allowed to contest the election at the national convention, warning the zonal leaders particularly not to play into the hands of those who did not want the zone to produce the party chairman.
He reminded the party leaders and delegates to the convention of how the PDP and the All Progressive Congress (APC) lost their preferred choices for leadership of the National Assembly in 2011 and 2015 to other forces as a result of going into those elections with a divided house.
Adeniran, a Professor of Political Science, picked his nomination form in the presence of party stakeholders and prominent stalwarts, such as Hon. Oke Olusola Babatunde from Ekiti State, Hon Oluwole Oke from Kwara State, Engr. Chinedum Ekeh from Abia State, and Hon. Temitope Atte from Kogi State.
He urged the delegates and leaders of the party to entrust him with the responsibility of being the National Chairman to ensure its rebirth and the enthronement of good governance in the country.
He said: “At this crucial period of our party and national polity, we need someone who has genuine interest of the party and is acceptable across boards; someone that has no integrity issue. I believe our delegates will appreciate the great need of the party for the personality I represent.”
