A former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Atahiru Bafarawa, said the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) would not afford to fail its numerous followers at the Dec. 9 national convention.

Bafarawa stated this in Sokoto on Sunday while receiving an aspirant of national chairmanship of the party, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, who was on a campaign visit to the state.

He said that it was unfortunate that the party encountered crisis after its convention in Port Harcourt in 2016, noting that the party was on “intensive care” at that time.

“Now that the party is out of the intensive care unit, there is need to put the party in order.

“We stand at risk if we don’t put our house in order. We will fail our millions of followers who are in support of this great party.

“Honestly, what we can do is to unite ourselves and pray to God to guide us to choose leaders who will lead our party,” Bafarawa said.

The former governor said that the North-West was yet to take any decision on who to support for the national chairmanship position, noting that the people would make the decision.

He described Dokpesi as a man of wisdom and experience, the criteria needed by the man who lead PDP as chairman.

“We believe that God chooses leaders, and I know that you are qualified to aspire for any position in this party and country,” the former governor told the aspirant.

Earlier, Dokpesi had said that he knew that Bafarawa was a man who loved and always wanted the best for his people, state and the country.

At a meeting with state executive members and convention delegates of the party at the Secretariat, he said he was in the state to seek support of party members for his aspiration to lead PDP.

Dokpesi pledged to work with the state executive committee and members to return PDP to power in Sokoto in 2019.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dokpesi was also in Gasau, where he met officials and delegates of the PDP in Zamfara. (NAN)