National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmed Mu’azu, has warned politicians of PDP extraction not to depend on godfathers in Abuja for the ticket of the party as the party would only give its ticket to candidates based on their popularity at the grassroots. He said any politician who depended on a presidential aide, no matter how powerful, would be disappointed.

Mu’azu stated this yesterday when he and members of the National Working Committee of the PDP granted audience to a select delegation of PDP from Akwa Ibom State led by the State Chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo, to receive the communique of the stakeholders meeting of April 22.

In a veiled reference to the sack of the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, purportedly over his meddlesomeness in Akwa Ibom politics, the National Chairman said he had agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan that any aide who does not humble himself would be shown the way out.

According to Mu’azu, “I have told the President that whoever does humble himself, work hard and remain focused towards our objective, will not belong to this party. We must stoop to conquer.

“We must remain calm, patient, committed and persevere in whatever we are going through for the sake of our party. I cannot imagine Nigeria without PDP. All the problems we are having is because we are a big party. We are not just democratic, we are the only party in Nigeria with the same name, same colours, same slogan since our inception. We are as constant as the Northern star.”

He also lambasted politicians who go about soliciting for support and a ticket of the party from aides based in Abuja and said they would be disappointed. “Those who depend on a godfather in Abuja will be disappointed. You have to know the power of God and the electorates. I want to assure you that nobody has the right to declare anybody as a candidate of the party,” Mu’azu said.

Earlier the state Chairman, Obong Ekpo, who described Akwa Ibom as a one-party state, had paid glowing tribute to Governor Godswill Akpabio, saying that he has galvanised the party in the state into one strong and indivisible unit.

Mu’azu promised to honour the invitation by the delegation for him to visit Akwa Ibom State and lay the foundation stone of Akwa Ibom PDP’s ultra-modern permanent secretariat and office complex. The PDP National Chairman, however, said he would do so after consultation with Governor Akpabio.

The high point was the presentation of the communiqué that contained resolutions unanimously reached at the expanded meeting of the Akwa Ibom State executive committee held on April 22 that the governorship slot in state is zoned to Eket Senatorial District in 2015.

•Photo shows Chairman PDP Akwa Ibom State, Obong Paul Ekpo, presenting a communique of Akwa Ibom State PDP to the National Chairman, Dr. Ahmed Mu’azu at Legacy House, Abuja.

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