By Banji Ayoola
The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State will participate in the forthcoming Local Government Election, which is scheduled by the state’s Independent Electoral Commission, ODIEC, to hold on December 16 this year.
The party’s state chairman, Hon Fatai Adams, who made this declaration on behalf of the party at a press conference on Friday at its state headquarters in Akure, the state capital, said that the party is ready to revitalise the government closest to the people at the grassroots, which he alleged had been paralysed by the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, administration.
The chairman challenged journalists to effectively play their constitutional watch dog role to ensure that the process is conducted according to the letters of the Law.
He said: “Gentlemen of the Press, you must have been aware of the plan of Ondo State Government to conduct Local government election by ODIEC come December 16, 2023.
“We have therefore called you to intimate you of our resolve to participate in the election.
“Local Goverment is the third tier of government which is closest to the people at the grassroots. Unfortunately it has been completely paralysed, only serving as a salary payment agency of the State Government, rather than serving the grassroot people as enshrined in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).
“Gone are the days when local government administration under the PDP was alive to its constitutional responsibilities.
“Gone are the days when local governments embarked on construction of rural roads, markets and other social amenities at the grassroots. Gone are the days when capable and tested hands were in charge of government at the grassroots.
“It is against this background that our party will participate in the Local Government Election, so as to bring development to the grassroots again, as it was under previous PDP administrations.
“Our resolve to participate is to reverse the uneventful and uninspiring narratives. It is to restore the lost glory of local government administration and its pride.
“This resolve is deliberate and we are conscious of the agenda of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to continue to muzzle the local government administrations by foisting his stooges on the people.
“We can therefore gauge his temperature and the mood of the APC as well as the inconveniences this our resolve may cause its members who erroneously see local government as their cash cow, being the reward for their hypocrisy and sycophancy to the Governor.
“This time around, APC will be resisted by the grassroots people who have been bearing the brunt of inept, colourless, unenviable, dry and retrogressive governance at that very important layer of government.
“We are however using this opportunity to call on the ODIEC to perform its role as an impartial arbiter which should not rob Peter to pay Paul.
“We are passionalety appealing to the Chairman and other members of the Commission to always act on the side of the people bearing in mind that their Commission is being financed by the tax payers’ money and not from the APC government which merely appointed them.
“They should ensure utmost transparency of the electoral process, exhibit decency, decorum and discipline that is expected of their high offices and not compromise for any self-serving or pecuniary gains so that posterity will be kind to them at the end of the day.
“Gentlemen of the Press, we have equally called you to remind you of your constitutional role of watching and monitoring the electoral process and accurately reporting and informing the public of what you see along the line without fear or favour.
“You have this inalienable duty to the people and not to any government in power so that we can together build a safe, sane, solid and sound nation where the potentials of the people can be ultimately realised.
“We are assuring you and the general public that we are prepared to participate in the electoral contest with the fervent hope that the Governor and his APC will allow the Commission to perform its role without undue interference and interruptions.
“As a party, we have put necessary machinery in motion which will culminate in our electoral victory at the polls and we are participating to win by the grace of God.”
During the question and answer session, Adams was asked to justify his party’s confidence in the coming election since the PDP had boycotted the last council election conducted by the APC administration in the state.
Responding, he said that members of his party were ready now to exercise their constitutional right by participating in the exercise.
According to him: “We don’t want to kill the aspirations of the members of our party. We held series of meetings across all cadres of our party, and by the opinions here, we agreed that the party must participate.”
He said: “This is purely state affair. We believe that we have able and responsible people at the helm of affairs until they prove otherwise.
“There was Local Government Election about three years ago. We decided not to participate because of the reasons best known to us.”
On the closeness of the December 16, 2023 date of the scheduled Local Government Election to the Governorship Election which will hold next year, Adams said: “There is no cause for worrying.”
In his remark, the Party’s State Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, said that the confidence of the PDP in the electoral process has been strengthened by the fact that “more importantly, the BVAS has been incorporated” in the process.
According to him: “We believe that ODIEC will have their hands handcuffed to do that which is right.
“We expect you (journalists) to keep tab on the process to ensure that it does not derail.”
