August 31, (THEWILL) – The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, on Saturday, conducted a peaceful ward congress across the 20 Local Government Areas to elect leaders that will steer the affairs of the party in the 236 wards of the state for the next three years.
The Congresses, which were held at different locations in the 236 wards had in attendance the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who attested that the members conducted themselves orderly to elect leaders for their wards.
The party members, THEWILL gathered, trooped out en masse and conducted themselves peacefully to vote for aspirants including chairmen, vice chairman, and secretaries, among others, to the party positions in their various wards.
For instance, in wards 11 and 12 in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, the party members were seen organising themselves in an orderly and peaceful manner to elect executives of their choice to the ward level.
Also at Ward 3, Idiobi-Okeola, at Isara-Remo, Remo North LG, accreditation started at 8:00 am and over 200 members voted for Mr Sunday Taiwo as chairman of the ward
Similarly, at ward 7, Ogere Town Hall, Ogere-Remo, Ikenne LG, members conducted themselves peacefully and elected Hon Taiwo Soneye as their chairman.
Chairman of the Electoral Committee,
Hon. Engr Solomon Maren, while monitoring the congresses, stated that members conducted themselves as a family, noting it was one of the freest and most transparent exercises he had witnessed without violence.
Maren expressed joy that he was surprised to see both winners and losers celebrating together without enmity, stressing that such a mindset was needed to unite the party in order to take the reins of power from the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) at the local, state and federal level come 2027.
He said that the ward congresses had laid a solid foundation for both local and state congresses coming up, stressing that members had elected executives in their various wards which would make it easier to pick delegates that would delegate power to new executives at the local and state levels.
Maren said, “You know it is a family business, a family affair and as you can see there is no trouble anywhere, everybody who wants to contest was given the right to contest, they also score the number of votes people want to give them, their supporters also queue behind them.
“It is one of the most freest and peaceful elections I have ever witnessed in the history of PDP Congress. I have conducted several congresses in many states before but this is one of the freest I have ever seen.
“I see that winners and losers are jollying together, clapping hands and hugging each other. This is the kind of thing we always look forward to as a party. Nigerians cannot continue to endure what is currently happening at the moment. We must come together and join hands, forces and all strength together as the party of the Nigerian people, the only people’s party in Nigeria. If we don’t get it right as a party, Nigeria will continue to get it wrong”.
“This is the time, I want to call all stakeholders to come together and forget their differences, bury them so that we can capture the country, capture the local government and the State as well as capture everywhere so that we can free Nigerians from the prison they’ve been in all these while.
“I want to thank the people of Ogun State for being peaceful and accommodating and for what they are. This is what all Nigerians should copy. Politics is not a do-or-die. It is the people who determine what they want to see tomorrow so we must always continue to avail ourselves and allow people to make their choices once that is done we should clock hands and hug each other.
“In the American election, no one goes to court to challenge the exercise because they know that what has happened is free and transparent and fair, this is what we look forward to in Nigeria. Nigeria will also experience that and our people will have good governance in place in Nigeria.
“The 10-day strike will not happen again because if you have good governance, we will accommodate all Nigerians and solve all their problems so that Nigeria will move forward”, he added
“This is like the foundation of the Congress, what you see from here, you will know that it will be better in the local government Congress and even will be best at the State Congress because we have already elected the foundation which is the people that are going to vote in these places.
“This is the most dangerous election that is supposed to be the most rude but you can see this one the way it is. People have been elected so the other election is delegated, people will be delegating powers to the ad-hoc delegate and to the party officials that are elected today. I think subsequent congresses will be free and fair elections and it is also going to be peaceful.”
The State Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Hon. Dada Awoleye, while speaking, noted that the party has shown maturity in making the conduct of the ward congresses in the state violent-free
Awoleye disclosed that the party is ready to take over the mantle of leadership in the state at ward, local and state levels come 2027
He said, “To God be the glory, they say charity begins at home. The PDP members have shown orderliness, they have shown maturity, they have shown that Ogun State is ready to take up power come 2027 even in the future election.”
“The Congress has been peaceful so far with all the wards we have witnessed. Everybody has conducted themselves in an orderly way so we are happy about this. Ward Congress is about the most difficult to conduct, 236 wards! But we thank God that it has gone peacefully.
“No single report of violence, no single report of disorder of any form, anywhere in the State has reached me so far so it shows that PDP is ready to take up the mantle of leadership in Ogun State and we are happy for this and we shall kudos to members of PDP for showing this selfless service”, he added
