By ADEYEMI ADELEYE

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, vowed that he will never join the bandwagon of those leaving PDP for other parties.

George, who said this at a news conference on Thursday Lagos, said those who wanted to dump the party were free to do so.

He was reacting to the gale of defections from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in some states.

According to him, the former ruling party still remains the best solution to the problems facing the people as it is committed to the country?s unity, inclusion, prosperity, growth and development.

?Those who want to leave PDP can go. Those of us who remain will continue to speak, talk and stand for the wellbeing of the people of Nigeria, who are going through a lot at the moment.

?Our commitment is to the people of Nigeria. I am an irredentist PDP man. PDP is still the best solution to the problems of these country.

?This is the only party that provides every Nigerian?from majority and minority groups?a good sense of belonging and representation.

?Let them (defectors) go anywhere. They will see the difference, and as usual, some of them will come back. We wish them best of luck,? George said.

The PDP leader said that the party would hold its National Convention on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 in Ibadan, to return the party to its former glory.

?Those who want to go are looking for crumbs and many of them will come back,? he added.

He said that the party?s concentration remained the people of Nigeria and not few leaders who had shown no regard for principle and ideology.

George advised Prof. Joash Amupitan, the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to carry out his statutory duties conscientiously, knowing that? there would always be a history?.

George who noted that the INEC Chairman?s name ?Amupitan? is rooted in ?Itan? ? meaning history ? said that the umpire, should live in the consciousness of the fact that he would become history one day.

?No manipulation should be tolerated. No glitches and cheating. Let the will of the people prevail in all elections,? he said.

On the current Nigerian Constitution, George said that the grundnorm had a lot of defects, hence its incapacity to take the country to the dream of its founding fathers.

?It is not working, it is military in nature. It is unfair to all sections of the country,? he said.

George said that since former President Goodluck Jonathan already summoned the courage to constitute a National Conference to look into the constitution, all the present leadership needed was to look at the recommendations and implement (NAN)

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