Nigeria Content Online

The National
Chairman of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Okwesilieze Nwodo, has
charged members of the party to field their best candidates as flag
bearers in the 2011 general elections.

A statement on
Monday by the chairman’s media assistant, Mr. Ike Abonyi, said that
Nwodo made the appeal while addressing members of the party from Enugu
at a reconciliatory meeting in Abuja.

The News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) quoted him as saying “We must strive to pick our best
eleven teams because it is not going to be business as usual. Vote will
count and only the best products can be marketed.”

It added that
President Goodluck Jonathan’s mode of appointments, as well as
commitment to international community, explained increased commitment
to free, fair and credible election.

The chairman also
reiterated zero tolerance to political violence, stressing that even at
gun point, he would not send the name of anybody who shoots his or her
way to victory through thuggery.

The statement
further said that Mr. Nwodo reminded the stakeholders of the reform
policy of the PDP, adding that it was aimed at opening up the party and
returning it to the people.

“When we allow the
people to pick our flag bearers, they will pick popular ones and it
would be easy to market them at the general election. We cannot afford
to allow our vote-winning members to be frustrated out to other
parties,” he added.

The News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) report said that the stakeholders bared their minds on
the happenings in the state, especially from 1999 to 2007, and
commended Sullivan Chime, governor of Enugu State, for returning peace
to the state.

A 15-member
committee was set up by the National Chairman to meet regularly and
ensure that the roadmap to peace, drawn at the meeting, was sustained.

The high point of the meeting was the resolution of the disputed state congress.

Ray Nnaji, a factional chairman of the party in Enugu, acknowledged Mr. Vita Abba-led executive as the authentic state leaders.

Among those who
attended the meeting were Sullivan Chime, governor of Enugu State;
former senate president, Ken Nnamani; deputy senate president, Ike
Ekweremadu; former governors Jim Nwobodo, Anthony Ogugua, and Chimaroke
Nnamani.

NAN