For Immediate Release
Houston, Texas, USA
October 3, 2018
PDP Diaspora Initiative Salutes Mother Party for Display of Transparency and Inclusion ahead of Primaries
As party members and delegates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) prepare to converge in Port Harcourt this weekend for the October 6-7 primaries to select the party’s flag-bearer, PDP has announced a new transparency and inclusion measure for a free, fair and credible election.
PDP announced this week that each of the presidential aspirants is allowed to nominate two people into the accreditation committee and another two into the electoral committee to ensure that none of the aspirants is left in the dark as to what the party is doing concerning the convention.
“We want a convention that will be of international standard and become an example of how to run a transparent convention in Nigeria,” Founder and National Chair of the PDP Diaspora Initiative Hon. Victoria Pamugo said.
“We are happy that our party has distinguished itself with this historic level of transparency, which has never been seen before in any political party in Nigeria,” she said.
PDP Diaspora Initiative admonished party leadership that any attempt to impose a candidate upon the people may backfire in the form of protest votes, which may ultimately cost the party every chance of reclaiming Aso Rock in 2019.
“There were concerns that any form of imposition of candidates by our great party will lead to a protest vote against PDP candidates in the general elections, which will ultimately affect our chances of winning,” Hon. Victoria Pamugo said.
“Let the candidates fight it out on a level playing field and let the best candidate emerge. It is a healthy exercise for our democracy. We are ready to stand solidly behind the candidate selected by the people and work to ensure PDP’s victory in 2019,” she said.
On the issue of gubernatorial elections across the country, Hon. Pamugo said that “one of the ways PDP can win and retain its current states and also make headway into APC states is by carrying its members along and desisting from anything that may create avoidable negative outcome or self-inflicted injury during 2019 general elections,” she said.
PDP Diaspora Initiative is a US-based registered non-profit organization composed of members of the People’s Democratic Party from all parts of the world, including Austria, Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America.
Its members are united by a strong belief that the integration of the diaspora into the political affairs of PDP in particular and Nigeria as a whole is an essential ingredient to propel PDP to victory come 2019 and beyond. Part of the organization’s primary objective is to sensitize, mobilize and galvanize support and votes for PDP as work is being done to achieve victory come 2019.
“We are also here to mitigate against strategic decisions that may cost us victory especially as PDP has a chance to take full advantage of the growing frustration amongst the electorate against the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), which has disappointed the Nigerian people and has shown nothing but incompetence,” Hon. Pamugo said.
PDP Diaspora Initiative is watching the party primaries across the nation with keen interest.
“We enjoin our party leadership at all levels to ensure that the power to choose and decide who runs and wins an election is left in the hands of the people. We want a free, fair and level playing ground for the best candidates who have greater chances of defeating APC to emerge,” she said.
Signed:
Chidi Igwe
National Publicity Secretary
PDP Diaspora Initiative