Southwest zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, said it would deliver the region for the party in the 2023 presidential election.
Giving the assurance after its meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Coordinator of the region for PDP’s Presidential Campaign Committee, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Dr. Eddy Olafeso and Publicity Secretary of the zone, Chief Sanya Atofarati, said despite the crisis rocking the party, its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would defeat the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 elections.
The trio urged the PDP members not worry over the crisis within the party, especially over the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, saying that the party would soon overcome the challenge and positioned itself to take charge of Southwest.
The former Governor of Osun State, during the meeting, which aimed to strategise on the zonal campaigns for Atiku and other candidates in the coming elections, said, “Victory is certain for Atiku as APC has nothing to campaign, considering the serious mess Nigeria finds itself in the last seven and half years of APC rule.”
The meeting, which was held at the South West zonal office of the party, was presided over by the National Vice Chairman in the zone, Hon. Soji Adagunodo and Oyinlola.
Apart from zonal officers of the party, who were in attendance, chairmen of the party in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states were also in attendance.
Oyinlola disclosed that the meeting was the first engagement he had with the officers of the party in the zone, since his appointment as the Zonal Coordinator of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign.
He disclosed that the meeting deliberated on the strategies to adopt in marketing the party, its candidates and particularly, launching the presidential campaign in the zone.
He described the deliberations as very fruitful, even as he declared that the PDP was ready to prove that it is the dominant party in the Southwest.
Olafeso said Nigerians have tested APC and PDP and the styles of governance of the both parties would determine how the electorate would vote on February 25 and March 11, 2023 across the country.
“It would be a suicide to hand over the country to APC for another four years,” he said.
Atofarati on his part said the crisis in the party is not as serious as the ruling party and some people in the media have been blowing it out of proportion.
“The demand that Ayu should resign to create a sense of belonging, equity and justice would be resolved soonest,” he said.
Atofarati also said the meeting deliberated on how Atiku/Okowa campaigns would be coordinated in Southwest as from next month starting from Ekiti State to other parts of the region.
