Yoruba group slams ‘anti-Southwest’ PDP campaign council

The Yoruba Restoration Group (YRG) has described the constitution of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as an indication of the disdain the Party has for the Southwest.

“Ever since Chief Obasanjo left the PDP, the party has continued to treat Southwesterners as an outcast,” said the convener of the group, Comrade Daud Jokotola.

“It is on record that we only became the Speaker of the House of Representatives by chance during the Yar’Adua administration and ever since then, the PDP in what looks like a sort of coup has taken every leadership position meant for us to other regions.”

The PDP announced its presidential campaign council on Tuesday with Senate President as its director-general. A source in Atiku Abubakar’s own campaign organisation said Saraki’s appointment by the party did not affect the position of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State, who is the director-general of Abubakar’s campaign team.

Jokotola insisted the PDP has always been “thinking low” of the region in its planning and allocation of positions.

He said, “In 2017 when the Chairmanship of the party was zoned to the region by a committee set up by the party itself, they took that position from us and gave it to the South-South.

“In the newly constituted Campaign Council of the party for the 2019 presidential election, the same party thought so low of us to drag us to merely regional Coordinator.

“While we have no issues with the South East being the Vice Presidential candidate and have taken the decision in good faith as a contribution to national unity, we will not stand back and allow this open desecration of our honour continue.

“We wish to make it clear to the leadership of the party that in spite of the misrule of the APC administration, the party is not treating us as an outsider and no matter how bad it is our son is the Vice President there,” the statement read.