Southwest Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Rahaman Owokoniran, on Sunday called for unity and discipline among party faithful to ensure that the party wins the 2027 elections.
The party chieftain made the call at the state’s party maiden Ramadan Lectures and Prayer program, which took place at Alagomeji area of Yaba, Lagos, organized by the state party chapter in conjunction with the Supreme Heritage and Legacy Foundation.
Speaking at the event, graced by party chieftains, including the State Chairman of the PDP, Hon. Philip Aivoji, Alhaji Muritala Ashorobi, Hon. Tai Benedict, Nicholas Akobada, Senatorial Candidate for Lagos East in the last election, among others, Owokoniran lamented that disunity and lack of discipline among party members had prevented candidates from securing victory in the 2023 elections across the country.
He maintained that the party could only win elections in Lagos State if members returned to their various wards and fostered unity and peace among themselves, expressing the belief that the prayers offered at the gathering for the unity and peace of members would not be in vain.
This was just as he charged members to go back to their various wards and educate others who were not present at the event on the need to foster unity with the objective of winning the state governorship election in 2027.
“I want to urge us that the issue of our party is in our hands, and all the prayers we have offered today for the unity and peace of our members will not be in vain.
“We should know that we have a role to play by going back to our various wards and educating others who are not present here on the need to foster unity with the objective of winning the state governorship election in 2027.
“This is because the present disunity among members has affected our chances, especially when it is time for the elections, so we can start looking forward to how we can ensure that our membership is growing at the wards level.
“It is the unity at the wards that will further foster unity and peace at the local and state government levels,” Owokoniran said.
Speaking earlier, the state party Chairman, Hon. Aivoji, equally enjoined party faithful to ensure peace and unity among themselves in order to dislodge the ruling party in the 2025 local government elections in the state and the 2027 general elections.
This was just as he warned that PDP would continue to find it difficult to win future elections, especially in Lagos State, if members lacked unity and party discipline among themselves.
Aivoji urged members to use this period of Holy Ramadan to unite and reflect on the past and think of future elections because the party, nurtured by its founding fathers with solid structures across the country, must not collapse.
“We cannot afford to allow this party to collapse because it was built on a strong foundation by our founding fathers, and they have good motives, and we cannot afford to disappoint them.
“It was unfortunate that out of the 255 wards that we had in 1998, they have almost gone into extinction; we must not allow this to happen.
“Therefore, if we want to reclaim and reposition the party, then members must have good motives for the party,” he said.
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Also speaking, the Guest Lecturer, Fadhilah Sheikh Mustapha Olori, said the party needed to take its rightful place by putting its house in order to win the 2027 general elections, urging party leaders to return the country to its glorious days when Nigeria was truly the giant of Africa.
The cleric thereafter offered prayers for the unity and peace in the country, especially in the states where insecurity and banditry were thriving.
Others present at the lecture were leaders and State Exco members, Otunba Folabi Alimi, B.O.T Chairman, Supreme Heritage and Legacy Foundation; Hon. Segun Gbayi, Reps Candidate, Lagos Mainland; Hon. Gbenga Oyeniyi Adewale, Reps Candidate for Constituency in the last election, among others.