The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Governorship candidate in Lagos State in the 2015 elections, Dr. Olujimi Agbaje on Monday advocated the need for the conduct of free, fair and credible convention of the party.
Dr. Agbaje stated this in an interview with newsmen shortly after commiserating with the Bayelsa state Governor, Honourable Seriake Dickson in Toru Orua, his country home over the death of his 72 year old mother, Mrs. Goldcoast Dickson.
A press release by the Special Adviser to the governor on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei quoted Dr. Agbajer as saying that, if the accreditation of delegates, voting and the entire process of the convention is seen to be transparent and credible, it would not give room for conflicts and rancour within the party.
On the emergence of many presidential aspirants within the PDP, Dr. Agbaje, said the beauty of democracy was about making choices, stressing that, members of the party are not losing sleep over the number of candidates, as they are all looking forward to a peaceful, free, fair and transparent convention.
His words: “Democracy is about choices. What normally creates a problem is when people feel the process isn’t fair. If for example, on the day of the convention, accreditation goes well, there is no contest about who the delegates are and then people go out to vote peacefully, then the exercise will be seen to be free and fair. You can be a bad loser or a winner. The idea of having many aspirants is good for our democracy. I don’t think we should lose sleep if there are many aspirants.”
Commiserating with Governor Dickson over the loss of his mother, Dr. Agbaje described the passing of Mrs. Dickson as painful, in view of their close relationship and urged him to take solace in the fact that, she lived a fulfilled life.
Describing Governor Dickson as a friend and a good party leader, he expressed gratitude for his invaluable contributions towards promoting internal democracy within the PDP, particularly the supportive role he played during his governorship election in 2015.
Responding, Governor Seriake Dickson thanked Dr. Agbaje for sympathising with him and his family, stating that, the demise of his mother had created a huge vacuum in the family.
Acknowledging the importance of mothers, Governor Dickson said they feel encouraged by the visits and prayers of sympathisers and noted that, in due course, the date of his mother’s interment would be announced.
