19th October, 2014
Dr Leke Pitan, a Lagos state governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday said his chances of winning the party ticket to run in the 2015 election in Lagos remain very bright.
Pitan told NAN in Lagos, ahead of the party’s primary election scheduled for 15 November, that his experience politically placed him in a good position, not only to clinch the party ticket, but also make it proud in the state.
He said that there was no indication in the party that any aspirant would be imposed on the others.
“To me, it is a non-existent issue, I don’t believe in the fears and insinuations that people have raised.
“Nobody has talked to me directly to step down for anybody, that is the honest truth,” he said.
Pitan said that it was natural for party stalwarts and leaders to have their favourites among the aspirants.
“To the best of my knowledge, there will be primaries, I don’t see these insinuations as something one should lose sleep over.
“Until I see it, feel it, then I will react. What I am aware of is that (the party) executives will form the electoral college that will vote at the primaries for various cadres”.
Pitan, however, noted that the wrong notion about consensus needed to be cleared in that people took consensus to mean imposition.
“Until we stress this, the notion out there will continue to be that once they say consensus, it means imposition; even party leaders need to get that clear.
“When they say consensus, it is not that leaders will sit among themselves and decide that one aspirant should step down for another.
“Rather, aspirants involved should be encouraged to come together and discuss among themselves, leaders could moderate and allow for several meetings,” he said.
Pitan noted that this process had the benefit of helping, in the long run, to help to narrow down the number of aspirants through voluntary stepping down, negotiations and discussions.
“Even when it becomes only one, they will still go to primaries for a yes or no, that is in the constitution,” he said.