The Anambra State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Valentine Ozigbo, has said that he consulted widely before choosing members of his campaign council.
Ozigbo was probably reacting to insinuations in some quarters that he failed to consult some big names in the party before naming them as members of his campaign council, leading to their resignation from the council.
The PDP campaign council which was inaugurated two weeks ago, with Senator Uche Ekwunife as the chairman, had suffered a setback when some notable names, including Hon Chris Azubogu, Senator Stella Oduah and others resigned, saying they were not consulted before their names were included in the list of members.
But Ozigbo, addressing this in a letter he wrote to PDP members in Anambra State, said he consulted, and was still consulting, with the hope to pacify all those who feel aggrieved, since after the primary election of the party.
In the letter signed by Ozigbo, he said: “Thank you for the confidence you have reposed in me by electing me as your flag-bearer. The only reason I stand in this place in the history of our great party and dear state is because of your collective support, goodwill, and prayers, and I will never take these for granted.
“I find it necessary to clear the air on recent statements by a few of our party leaders, alleging a lack of consultations before the inauguration of our State PDP Governorship Campaign Council on Sunday, August 15, 2021.
“As one entrusted with this leadership position by our party, I wish to assure you that I bear the responsibility of being your flag-bearer with the utmost sense of humility and commitment. I can promise you that I will never make a public statement to pass a message to anyone in the PDP family when I have the option of calling my brother or sister on the phone and having a heart-to-heart talk.
“It is, however, necessary to present the facts with regards to the disclaimers, many of you may have read on social media and the pages of newspapers. We did consult extensively with our party leaders before we inaugurated our Campaign Organisation.
“I consulted with some of them personally, while some of our party leaders closer to them consulted with some others. Multiple consultations were held with the majority of them, some more than five times, in some instances, with witnesses of their choosing. I have personally made a great effort to meet the demands put forward by everyone.
“But, it does appear that despite our best intentions, we did not consult enough. To anyone who feels offended over this, I apologise. Consultations are still ongoing, and I remain open to negotiation and further engagements with all of us. As many of you already know by now, my heart and my door are always open to engage and receive anyone who comes with goodwill. To the best of my ability, I have and will continue to accommodate us all.”
Ozigbo apologised for the rescheduling of the take-off of campaigns, saying he accepts full responsibility for the delay.
He pledged to keep to his campaign promise of carrying all members of the party along, and that he would put in his very best to galvanize fellow aspirants, key stakeholders, and the entire party to ensure PDP faces the main election on a united front.
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