Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party’s recently concluded national conference, has debunked claims that he said the party erred in fielding former President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate for the March 28 presidential election in the country.
He also denied reports that he apologised for alleged misrule of the country by PDP, pointing accusing fingers at the opposition All Progressives Congress for orchestrating the misunderstanding and attempting to turn the country into a one-party state.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, Dokpesi said he was “not only an unrepentant admirer, supporter and die hard follower of Jonathan but, indeed, a party member.”
Clarifying his earlier statement, he stated: “What I said at the media briefing was that PDP governments were run by human beings who are not perfect and may have made mistakes.
“I cited the example of the party’s zoning agreement nationwide, which buckled in the face of incumbents who had preferred and pliant candidates and went on to subvert the people’s choice on who to represent them leading to defeats at the polls.”
“I tendered an apology to PDP members nationwide for actions like that,” he affirmed.
While regarding earlier reports on the matter as misleading, he accused the APC of attempting to “undo the PDP and set its members against one another in order to pave way for one party system.”
The APC’s schemes, he said, “would not see the light of the day”.
Stating that Jonathan did his best to put the nation’s economy on a sound footing, he said: “I call on all PDP members nationwide to discountenance the misleading reports as the party has no apologies to offer anyone for its years of rule at the centre and a majority of the states.”