PDP will win 6 political zones in Oyo State — Party Chairman

Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Oyo State, has expressed confidence that the party would win six out of the seven political zones of the state conveniently on Saturday.

Mustapha told newsmen in Iseyin, Oyo State on Monday that the party was confident of massive support by the people of the state.

Our correspondent reports that the seven political zones of the state are Ibadan, Ibadan less city, Ibarapa, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Oke-Ogun I and Oke-Ogun II.

He said that the party enjoyed massive support in Ibadan, Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun and Oyo, adding the ongoing coalition with ADC, SDP, ZLP and some other political parties has been sealed.

The PDP Chairman said that the coalition has adopted Mr Seyi Makinde, the PDP governorship candidate, as their governorship candidate for Saturday’s governorship election.

“The defeat of Gov. Abiola Ajimobi in the last senatorial election is the end of APC. Today, we have a coalition of no fewer than five political parties supporting PDP.

“In Ibadan, all the governorship candidates of major political parties except the APC has stepped down for Mr Seyi Makinde, the PDP governorship candidate. In Ibarapa, we won the two federal constituencies.

“In Oyo, we will spring surprises and in Oke-Ogun, all is not going to be as usual. We are all at home working hard for the victory. Here in Iseyin, all those in the ADC are now with us in PDP.

“We may not win in Ogbomoso, but we are very sure that the election in that zone will be keenly contested,” he said.

Mustapha said the party’s performance in the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly election in the state was just a tip of the iceberg.

“Our party did well, though not up to our expectation in some councils as a result of manipulations carried out by the government of the day.

“These manipulations were carried out in some councils in Ibadan, Saki and Iseyin. I am sure you can see that the people are really tired of the present government,” he said.

Mustapha said that the methods employed by the APC to manipulate the last election has already been exposed, vowing that PDP and the coalition would not allow such in the Saturday governorship election.

He denied the involvement of PDP in vote buying and election rigging, saying the party was not in government and could not get such huge money to buy votes.

The party chairman said that information at their disposal revealed that the ruling APC was planning to import people from Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states where the governorship election would not hold into the state.

Mustapha alleged that the imported people would use fake PVCs to vote for the APC, calling on security agencies to be neutral and perform their duties as expected.

The PDP Chairman tasked INEC and its staff from allowing themselves to be compromised to engage in electoral malpractice, saying such action would be resisted by the people.

“Let me inform you that the APC is planning to use men of the NURTW to unleash terror on opposition members. I want them to know that these people are children of many people across party lines.

“We have heard their plans and we won’t take it lightly with anyone who intends to cause violence in the state. Parents should warn their children,” he said.

Speaking on former Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala’s support for the APC governorship candidate, Mustapha said that the former governor left the cialicoal without his people.

“Alao-Akala’s only legacy in Ogbomoso is the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital and I can tell you that the people of Ogbomoso did not go with him because they are wiser,” he said.