A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Ondo State, Hon. Saka Lawal is optimistic that his party will bounce back to power in 2019.
Lawal, an aspirant of the party in the 2016 Ondo Governorship election, was speaking as a guest on Orange Fm's Face to Face programme on Sunday.
He said the PDP lost power in 2015 because it failed to pick a northerner and is ready to correct that mistake in 2019.
"We lost the power in 2015 just because we didn't pick a northerner. If we had picked a northerner, I bet it with you, Buhari wouldn't have scored 1.8 million votes in Kano." Lawal boasted
He expressed confidence that the party will make the right choice of presidential candidate going what the 'array of options' on ground.
"PDP is in the 774 local government in Nigeria as the most visible political party. All we need is to get the first thing done first which is picking a credible and versatile candidate who has no EFCC case hanging around his neck because that is one weapon they can use against us." Lawal said
On the emergence of a third force, Lawal described such as dead on arrival and huge joke.
"Its going to be difficult except if we are deceiving ourselves. Funding a political party in Nigeria is not a tea party and if you look at our history from 1999, it's this same set of people that came back in 1999. They are the people that have been metamorphosing into APC, PDP today APGA tomorrow"
"Yes, I give it to Professor Agbakoba and others but how many Nigerians will listen to them because they have not really gone there to test the waters . Have they even gone home before to contest for councillorship?its rough out there, it's not just you sitting down in your studio and say you want to form a third force. It's not going to be easy." He said
On his next political move ahead 2019 elections, Lawal said he was keeping such to his chest as his concern for now is how to make the PDP formidable in the state.
