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THE NATION |
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THE NATION |
A FACTION of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), on Tuesday, alleged that the polarisation of the party was a grand design by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to erase Chief Obafemi Awo-lowo’s hegemony from the South-West
The National Vice-Chairman (South-West) of the faction, Mufutau Olatunji Hamza, made the allegation in Akure, Ondo State, at a meeting with party members as part of his tour of the South-West zone
Hamza’s visit was also a prelude to the flaging off of the AD’s campaign for the forthcoming local government election in the state
The national vice-chairman said the PDP cashed in on the gentleman agreement
with AD on the honest desire to assist a “kinsman, which later led to the
hijack of five South-West states.”
He alleged that the polarisation of AD through fac-tionalised conventions
was an attempt to deregister the party through the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC)
“INEC knew that we followed all the laid down rules when we held our congress, leading to the national convention in Lagos, yet it refused to give the recognition we deserved,” Hamza stated
He lamented that in spite of INEC accepting that the Abuja convention was unconstitutional, the electoral body refused to accord his group recognition
Hamza called on members of the party to fight for their rights in order to protect Awolowo’s legacies, which, he said, had been beneficial to the people including President Olusegun Obasanjo
“If people prove to be ingrates, it is our duty not to allow them succeed entirely in their devilish plans,” the vice-chairman said
He said the forthcoming local government election would be an opportunity for AD members to reposition the party by remaining steadfast and focused
“We should come together and fight as a unified entity. We should not be divided, this is the time for us to remain one solidified unit,” Hamza stated
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
