—All contestants are my kinsmen, says Alabere
By: Ade Phillips
A group within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, has tongue lashed the party state Chairman, Hon. Tola Alabere, for allegedly throwing his weight behind a particular aspirant they described as his kinsman.
The PDP Youths Advocate alleged that “Alabere was taking money from his kinsman to corner delegates forms, as against the dictates of an agreement with aspirants and Party leaders.”
The group’s coordinator, Mercy Bright, in a statement issued on Friday and obtained by Starnews NG, called on the stakeholders of the party to urge Alabere to take the seat of an umpire in lieu of taking side with an aspirant.
The statement read, “After the suspension of the late Hon. Fatai Adams as the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a whole lot of Party faithfuls heaved a sigh of relief with hope that respite is here. To the darkest of our imaginations, we have gone from bad to worse. The acting Chairman, Honourable Tola Alabere, seem destined to make things exceptionally hard for the Party with his cunning tilting towards a particular aspirant who is also his kinsman from Ilaje local government.
“Sincerely, one would think the current State Working Committee would be circumspect in their dealings, considering their request and grant of a second chance to right their collective wrong. For clarity sake, Tola Alabere and his SWC members are torn between aspirants and the highest bidder.
From all indications, Tola Alabere has decided to erode the collective will and desire of Party members by unilaterally taking money from his kinsman to corner delegates form, as against the dictates of an agreement with aspirants and Party leaders. Just yesterday, it became more glaring that Tola Alabere is insistent on interfering with the fairness and freeness of the primary election process when he stampeded the Screening Committee to do his bidding.
“This act is capable of jeopardizing the nascent peace and unity we are working towards as a party. It is a known fact that a free and fair primary election is the gateway to victory for the Party in Ondo State.
Alabere’s decision to tinker with the process will cause catastrophic damage that will mark the end of the party in Ondo State. So, he is better warned off and allow Party delegates to choose the best for the Party and the entire Ondo State. We must not give any aspirant reasons to have a dissenting stance after the Primaries and only a free and fair process devoid of political abracadabra as being orchestrated by Tola Alabere and his SWC can ensure that.
“Conclusively, we will like to call on all stakeholders and leaders of the Party to impress it on Tola Alabere to take a back seat and be the umpire he’s supposed to be in this election process. We have stayed too long in opposition to allow his overzealous desires to deprive our Party of victory at the general polls.
Meanwhile, Alabere, during a telephone interview with our Correspondent, described the group as faceless and unknown to the party.
“My brother no group within the PDP, they are not known to the PDP. Let me tell you that all that are contesting are my kinsmen the group is faceless”, he briefly said.
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