PDP Convention: Avoid disparaging utterances, Dickson tells contenders

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, in Yenagoa on Monday called on the 12 presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party to avoid disparaging utterances as they campaign ahead of the party’s national convention.
The governor in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, said it was pertinent for the presidential aspirants to avoid the use of words that could inflict injury on party cohesion and its strength as the country moves closer to the 2019 elections.
Dickson, who was Chairman of the PDP’s Committee on Reconciliation, stressed that utterances seemingly targeted at critical organs of the party and governors should be avoided in the interest of a repositioned and formidable PDP determined to wrest political power from the All Progressives Congress.
According to him, there was no division within the organs of the party and its governors as all the critical stakeholders were engrossed in moves to produce a viable presidential candidate through a credible convention acceptable to all members of good conscience in desire of the party’s victory in the general elections.
He said that publication in some quarters depicting division within the PDP, its organs and governors were untrue and should be totally discountenanced.
Dickson stressed that the PDP governors, Board of Trustees and National Working Committee were part of the committees saddled with the responsibility of producing a candidate for the party in a free, fair and credible process.
He assured all the presidential aspirants of the party of the commitment of the governors to a fair process designed to make the party stronger after the convention.
The governor said that the party was looking forward to the emergence of a candidate that would enjoy the support of the leadership and the indeed membership of the party in the preparation for the contest for political control in 2019.
He said: “I wish to urge all Presidential aspirants of our great party to avoid disparaging remarks that are suggestive of division among the critical organs of the party and the governors. No such division exists.
“The fact is that the governors are working with the National Working and BOT of the party to midwife a credible process that will produce a strong and acceptable candidate for the PDP as we move closer to the battle ahead.”
Dickson urged aspirants with complaints on any issue to take advantage of a forum for discussions among the governors, the party and the aspirants, which was created during a meeting of the governors in Abuja last week.
The Bayelsa State Governor said a similar meeting of the governors, aspirants and critical organs of the party was being planned for next week in Abuja.
He insisted that the party was committed to a fair process that would prepare the ground for its victory in 2019.