Presidential hopeful and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has declared that the PDP remains the only truly democratic political party in Nigeria, one that no individual or group can pocket or control.
  
The South-West zone of the PDP yesterday also expressed readiness to hold the November Elective National Conventions scheduled to be held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
  
In a telephone chat with The Guardian, the South-West zonal publicity secretary, Sanya Atofarati, said the zone was doing everything necessary to ensure that it corroborated the job of the organising committee set up by the party to supervise the convention.
  
He also assured the party faithful that Ibadan is the best in terms of space, security and with a sitting governor.
  
Speaking during a live interview on the AIT Democracy Today programme, Olawepo-Hashim said the PDP’s long-standing tradition of competitive primaries and respect for its constitution distinguished it from every other political organisation in the country.
 
According to him, even as a sitting President in 2003, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had to submit himself to a hotly-contested primary election in his bid for re-election, facing strong challengers such as Barnabas Gemade, Abubakar Rimi, and Alex Ekwueme, aspirants drawn from both the North and the South. 
  
He noted that this mirrored the 1999 PDP presidential primary, which was also vigorously contested by candidates across the country.