‘I never said Goodluck Jonathan's candidacy was a mistake,’ Dokpesi says

The Chairman of Daar Communications, Raymond Dokpesi has denied reports that he attributed the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 elections to the candidacy of former President, Goodluck Jonathan.


Dokpesi also denied that he had apologized for the PDP’s alleged mismanagement of the country.

He said further that he’s ‘not only an unrepentant admirer, supporter and die hard follower of Jonathan but, indeed, a party member.’

The PDP chieftain made the clarification via a statement personally signed by him, according to the Daily Sun.

                       

The statement reads:

“My attention has been drawn to claims in the media that I had apologised to the nation on behalf of the PDP over the fielding of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the last general elections. Such other media comments and reports actually went further to say that I had apologised for the misdeeds and wrongs done to the nation by the PDP in its 16 years in the saddle since the return of democratic governance in 1999.”

“These reports were clearly deliberate and mischievous misrepresentations of what I said at the press briefing. 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. 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.”

Earlier reports had stated that Dokpesi made the comment during the PDP’s national re-branding conference adding that fielding Jonathan was the party’s greatest mistake.

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