PDP at risk of losing South West -Group

The Yoruba Solidary Coalition has warned the ruling Peoples Democratic
Party that it stood the risk of losing the entire South West if it
does not address the marginalisation of the area.
Coordinator of the group, Prof. Olawale Akintunde, said this in a
statement sent to our correspondent via e-mail, on Tuesday.
He said members of the group were of the unanimous opinion that the
zonal congress of the party held in Ibadan, was a sham as such should
be cancelled and a fresh one conducted.
Akintunde said the congress which took place on Saturday, October 11,
was at best, an attempt to insult the intelligence of the Yoruba
people who are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria and the bedrock of
Nigeria's intelligentsia.
The group observed that the marginalisation of the South-West and its
people was giving it great source for concern.
It cautioned the PDP against taking the region for granted in the
march towards 2015.
The statement partly read, "How can a controversial uneducated person
for whom a Warrant of Arrest has been issued in the USA for criminal
offences confirmed by the Embassy of the USA in Nigeria organise a
so-called 'political zonal congress' with 48 hours notice to
'selected' candidates with screening in an undisclosed hidden location
resulting in the absence of 14 resourceful competent candidates and a
pre-arranged list of results for 22 positions of the Party's Zonal
Exco!
"Only 12 positions were 'discussed' and the pre-arranged list was
adopted. Those who never purchased or submitted forms for the various
positions were 'placed' there as long as they had submitted themselves
to this questionable character.
"The secretary position, which was normally zoned to Lagos was
deliberately manipulated to Ogun State, which already had its normal
slot, despite the protest of some notable Leaders of the party in
Lagos when positions were being zoned last year."
The group requested that the party, should as a matter of urgency, act
now and address this imbalance or suffer an unimaginable defeat in the
zone as in Osun State.
However, the chairman of the congress committee, Senator Emmanuel
Anosike, said his committee discharged its functions with the
seriousness and responsibility it deserved.
He said "We conducted a credible exercise, I did not choose the
delegates, and we worked with the approved delegate list.
"You know the level of political awareness in the south west is such
that you find respected people most of who are not less than seventy
years old turning up as delegates. There were disagreements but the
issues were resolved."