Reform PDP or perish-Dokpesi

Promoter of Daar Communications and frontrunner for Peoples Democratic Party Chairmanship race, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has said that he is in the contest to revive the dying vision of its founding fathers and reposition it as a veritable opposition party in Nigeria.
The aim of the restructuring, Dokpesi said, is to make the PDP stronger to be able to seamlessly wrestle power from President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress, APC so as to end the ravaging poverty and hunger in the country.
Dokpesi, who made the claims while addressing journalists in Abuja, said that he was the best candidates among the array of candidates who had indicated interest in the chairmanship of the party.
Dokpesi also kicked against any attempt by PDP governors and other interested parties within the party to micro-zone the chairmanship of the party to the Southwest, saying that doing so would create more problems for the party.
He said that as a founding member of the PDP, who understands the vision and mission of the party, he was in the best position to reposition the party and use it to win the 2019 election and reposition Nigeria.
“My mission is to serve the party and restructure the vision of its founding fathersin line with developments that have taken place and restore strong values to deepen and strengthen the party. “We want to give strong opposition to this government because there is a lot hunger and poverty in the country and Nigerians are suffering.
“My ambition is for PDP to win 2019 and I am going to deploy massively for that to happen. For that reason I am going to bring back all those leaders who left and I hereby tender my unreserved apology to them to return.
“There will be level playing field for all candidates under my leadership. I am not an agent of anybody and I am not sponsored by anyone and I feel insulted to hear that someone is sponsoring me. But I have no commitment to anybody. I am ready to kneel down for those aggrieved to come back to the party in order for us to be victorious in 2019.
I am the most acceptable candidate for the job. It has been repeatedly made clear that the post is for the south and nothing more. Nobody can micro-zone it to the Southwest. I'm pursuing the matter without violating any rule of the party and nobody can accuse me of anti-party activity because I had already done 24 states before they did what they did. I believe they have the love for the party like I do.
“I strongly believe that time has come for the party to determine its future by allowing all in the South to contest so as not to lose its position but to play proper opposition and leave its old ways. I believe that Nigerians are yearning for the new leadership I represent.
“I hope the PDP Governors have learnt their lessons and depart from the ways of the past and I am not naive to take their words hook line and sinker. Nigerians are watching them. The consequence of not allowing the will of the people to prevail will break up the party and it can therefore not survive the current crisis. I don't belong to any faction of the party.
“The challenges I've seen moved me to contest for the post of chairman. If I lose, I will still remain a loyal and committed member of PDP. My reason for being in PDP is not to be president or minister but to contribute to national development and create better future for children.
“I have retired from public service but I have a stronger household name than any other contestant and I have created a national and international image than any other contestant in the race.
I want to do something to prosper the ordinary man and will remain in PDP till the end.
Describing the alleged zoning of the chairmanship of the party to the Southwest, Dokpesi said it would be unfortunate for anyone to try to manipulate the clear and unambiguous position of the National Working Committee that the post be zoned to the South while the Presidency goes to the North.
On his ongoing corruption trial over the collection of N2.1 billion from the former NSA, Dokpesi said that he remained innocent until proven otherwise; pointing out that it was because of his involvement in the PDP that he was being persecuted by the authorities.