A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ayo Arise has urged  members of the party to recognize President Olusegun Obasanjo as the overall leaders of the party.

Senator Ayo Arise, while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan, Oyo state capital said that the only way to end the lingering crisis in the party is to realize the need to respect leaders of the party at all levels.

He stated that there is no doubt that former president Olusegun Obasanjo is the longest serving elected president of Nigeria as well as a military head of state who handed over power to the civilian government to Alhaji Sehu Shagari in 1979. “ we must come together to realise that we have a leader, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is the longest serving president of this country and that everyone cannot be a leader including members of the party who are still aspiring for one position or the other.

He pointed out that though president Olusegun Obasanjo has retired as the BOT chairman of the party but he is not tired.

He said that the party at the time need selfless people not people who want to be serve for selfish purposes but people of high integrity.

On his ambition to contest the governorship election in Ekiti state come 2014 elections, senator Arise said that he is more popular in Oye Ekiti area of the state where Governor fayemi hails from, which gives him preference among other PDP aspirants in the state.

He said that it is certain president Goodluck Jonathan will prefer his candidature knowing his wealth of experience and to avoid the usual cost associated with primaries.

He called on the PDP members in the state to come together for the success of the party in the 2014 Governorship elections adding that there is a need to plan well and strategies more for the success of the party.

According to him Governor Kayode Fayemi is trying to the best of his knowledge on the development of the state but he will do much better as governor come 2014 in the state.