The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said yesterday that Ebonyi State has vowed to give the All Progressive Congress (APC) a good run in future elections and urged its members to be united.
Chairman of the 15-member caretaker committee of the party, Steve Oruruo, made this known on Tuesday after he led some executives of the party on a courtesy call to the state commissioner of police, Augustina Ogbodo, at the police headquarters in Abakaliki.
According to Oruruo, the strongest point or part of an opposition party is that sense of unison and oneness.
Oruruo, who had visited the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security Service (DSS), opined that the people of the state were in dire need of an alternative party, and he said the PDP would fill the gap soon.
“‘PDP has bounced back in Ebonyi. If you are passing through the secretariat, you will see signs that the party is bouncing back.
“But the party must admit that it is an opposition party, and as an opposition party, they have to stay united. The strongest point or part of an opposition party is that sense of unison, that sense of oneness.
“If they remain very strong, united, and in accord with a clear vision, they are going to triumph. So, our target is to provide a party that will run and win elections in Ebonyi.
“We want a party that people can trust and say, Let their first eleven join this party and win elections for their people.
“We want to create a plurality of opinion; we want a situation where people will have a chance to talk from another perspective. A society without an opposition party is deemed for life.”.
“So, we need a vibrant opposition party to put pressure on the sitting government to even perform better. It serves the people well that we have a very strong PDP in the state,” Oruruo stated.
The chairman described the police as a partner in the advancement of democracy in the country.
He called for security in the activities of the party in the state.
“The police are a partner as far as democracy is concerned. You need the police, their dexterity, and their performances for democracy to thrive.
“They have been experts, they have been competent, and they have shown commitment. They have lost lives, and they have done everything to ensure that we have democracy.
“So, if you are looking for security and you intend to have fairness in applications, you must have orderliness, and in that orderliness, you cannot distance the police from it,” he stated.
The State Commissioner of Police, Augustina Ogbodo, while addressing the caretaker committee, promised to provide an enabling environment for every political party in the state to function optimally.
She also promised to be fair and decisive in dealing with official matters without recourse to sentiments or biases of any kind.
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