SEN. Joshua Dariye on Monday advised the Plateau chapter of the PDP to be fair to all aspirants and avoid actions that could weaken the party’s unity and cohesion.
The PDP belongs to all; it is no one’s private company.

There are no landlords or tenants, so all members should be given equal opportunities to aspire,” Dariye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos.

SEN. Joshua Dariye on Monday advised the Plateau chapter of the PDP to be fair to all aspirants and avoid actions that could weaken the party’s unity and cohesion.

The PDP belongs to all; it is no one’s private company.

There are no landlords or tenants, so all members should be given equal opportunities to aspire,” Dariye told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos.

He cautioned the party leaders against shutting down the party’s doors on persons perceived to be in the bad books of government officials.

Dariye said that it was normal in democracy for people to hold different opinions on issues.

The former Plateau governor specifically expressed surprise that former PDP members who returned to the fold as well as new entrants were being blocked from participating in the party’s activities, adding that this was ”very strange”.

A political party is a vehicle for the mobilisation of members to win political power and should therefore continue to seek more members.

I liken a political party to a Church; the more members it can win, the better for its goal,” he said.

Dariye, who represents Plateau South in the Senate, also advised the party officials to ensure transparent process in the primary elections to produce candidates for the 2015 polls.

He said that any process perceived to be undemocratic would not be accepted.

The people are getting more enlightened; people are getting more conscious of their rights.

The primary elections will be conducted by delegates and these delegates will be elected at congresses that must be seen to be open and fair.

We shall not expect any delegate to emerge from any private enclosure because that could have its backlash,” he said.

Dariye, however, advised politicians against seeing politics as a venture where all expenditures would be counted as investment.

Politicians seeking to serve should spend money without asking for receipts; it is part of the sacrifice toward quality leadership that does not seek to corner public resources,” he said.

He expressed confidence that he would secure a second tenure into the Senate, stressing that he had done so much and therefore deserved more years to do even more.

I have touched all the sectors from education, health to water and electricity supply. I challenge everyone to do an independent check,” he said.

He named his key projects to include lecture theatres and classes worth N300 million currently on-going at the Plateau State University, Bokkos, as well as some lecture halls worth N191 million at the Federal College of Education, Pankshin.

The senator said that he had seen those seeking to contest against him from all the political parties and was sure that none had the capacity to unseat him.

Dariye advised Nigerians to participate in the democratic process, especially the election of people into offices.

He said that it would be odd to criticise a process one had refused to participate in.

Dariye called for mutual respect by politicians and office holders in Plateau, stressing that deliberate efforts to humiliate senior citizens of the state could boomerang. (NAN)

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Dariye: Plateau PDP must be fair to all