Former President Goodluck Jonathan has issued strong warning to the Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying that the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State may get away with victory in the coming governorship election if members and leadership of the party (PDP) are not united.
Jonathan spoke during the PDP Elders Advisory Council meeting at Government House, Yenagoa, ahead of the November 16, 2019 election.
He explained that the large number of PDP aspirants showed the dominance of the party as a preferred platform for the election, but added that unity must strive.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, after the meeting quoted Jonathan as saying that the PDP had all the requirements to record a landslide victory at the forthcoming poll.
He also commended Governor of the State, Seriake Dickson, the state Chairman of the PDP, Moses Cleopas and all critical stakeholders including the 21 aspirants for working for the continued stability of the party.
He said: “I need to plead with all the aspirants and all political leaders that there should be no mudslinging. We must free the space and eschew rancour because finally one person will become the candidate of the party and for that one person to win the election, all aspirants must work for that person.
“It is only our unity that can give us victory and if we are not united, they (APC) can get away with it.
“For example, it took the unity of the people of Rivers State including women who were resolute against soldiers to get the PDP victory in the state. If that had not happened, they (opposition) would have taken it.
“For us to secure this state for PDP we need maximum unity and that is why all the 21 aspirants are important to us; we must have that maximum unity and must not create any form of division or discrimination.
“At the end of the day one person will emerge and all of us will work for whoever emerges as candidate of the party”.
