In a bid to save the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from impending implosion, the party leadership is set to begin the process of reconciling all aggrieved members.
The party’s presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is to head the reconciliation committee.
Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin, who disclosed this yesterday appealed for restraint among party members in view of furore over the choice of Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as the party’s vice presidential candidate.
Jibrin advised members to allow the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku, and its chairman, Ayu, to return to the country for issues to be resolved amicably.
In a statement he personally issued in Kaduna, the BoT chairman noted that as soon as Ayu and Atiku returned to the country, the process of reconciliation would commence in earnest.
He listed the names of members of the committee as follows: Atiku Abubakar; vice presidential candidate, Governor Okowa; PDP national chairman, Senator Ayu; NWC members; PDP BoT chairman, Jibrin himself; representative of BoT membership; the 13 governors on the party’s platform; former PDP governors; former PDP ministers and some PDP elders from zones and states.
Jibrin explained that the reconciliation became necessary following the “great concern and great sense of feeling on the various recent comments coming from some of our PDP members and some prominent Nigerians on the choice of Chief Okowa, the Governor of Delta State, as the Vice Presidential Candidate by the Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, of our Party, PDP, the biggest party not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa.”
The statement continued: “All the Comments and various submissions are very normal in any political set up in Nigeria today with PDP being the strongest and most prominent party that has all potentials to form Government in 2023.
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“We must come back to our senses by all our members and all most responsible and respectful Nigerians by giving total support to the party to enable it form Government by holding all political positions in Nigeria in 2023.
“It is therefore very necessary that when our Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and our National Chairman, Senator Ayochia Ayu return to Nigeria very soon from abroad, the following must be done immediately.
“A very important visit must be undertaken to Governor Nyesom Wike comprising of the following group which should be headed by the Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
“It is very important to note that Governor Wike is very responsible and very obedient member of PDP who assisted tremendously toward building the party to what it is today.
“We must therefore encourage him to never leave the party. In the light of the above, I want to appeal to all PDP members and leaders to shun away from unorthodox comments aimed at reducing and running down the party. We must come together and unite ourselves as earlier established by our founding fathers.
“We should therefore shun any bad comment aimed at dividing us. We must be ready to forget and forgive ourselves by encouraging Nigerians to continue supporting us and our party.
“It is my strong appeal to all current and former Governors, former Presidents of Nigeria not to add more fuel into the fire but to always try to quench the fire from spreading.
“May I say it loud that we commend all our current PDP Governors for their greatest assistance to the party always.”
Meanwhile, former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has said only a formidable and united PDP would be capable of defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming general election.
Makarfi stated this when he received the director-general of Save Southern Kaduna Group (SSKG), Istifanus Audu Nimbia, and his entourage on a private visit.
A a statement by the director, Corporate Communications of SSKG, Victor Mathew Bobai, quoted Makarfi as askinh for unity amongst members of the PDP, following the agitation by youths of Southern Kaduna for youth inclusiveness and fair share in governance.
The PDP leader stated that the immediate challenge before the PDP is to ensure that Southern Kaduna remains very united and support the nomination of Dr John Ayuba.
“John Ayuba is first of all from Southern Kaduna and therefore rather than going to the press to agitate against him is not the right thing to do without asking the PDP gubernatorial candidate the level of consultation he made before arriving at Dr John Ayuba,” he said.
Makarfi urged the youths to make positive agitation and also demand for other lucrative positions with which they can build experience and develop capacity for the future.
He said, “No society can develop without the inputs and positive contributions from the youth.
“Stop sending wrong signals and terrible narratives of hate and discouragement. See yourselves as a united political front. The PDP Leader encouraged the youth to always ask questions before taking certain decisions. My doors are open and I am here for you. Do come and interact with us.”
He reassured that the PDP was going to run an all-inclusive administration where the various interests within the party can find accommodation.
Earlier, Nimbia told Makarfi that the Save Southern Kaduna Group is a lover of the PDP and majority of its members are PDP members except for very few that are from other political parties.
He said, “However, we sincerely appreciate the opportunity given to us to meet with a Man of many virtues but specifically a man of peace.
“It’s our resolve to work for the return of the PDP in 2023 because now we have tested both the PDP and APC and we have realized that PDP is a great party. Thus, we shall mobilise to put an end to the poor governance of the APC.
“Southern Kaduna Youth at this moment look up to the PDP to be very sensitive and include the youth demography for balance of power and equity.
“Our paramount desire is whether there would be any possible window to substitute John Ayuba with our preferred younger person that will carry us the youths along. We appeal to you sir to help us to talk to Ashiru Kudan and get this issue sorted out.
“A number of times the youth have been promised that one of them shall be running mate but unfortunately someone else got the ticket.
“As youth we take pride if the party is able to give us special consideration for such office. Although we understand that there are complexities and grievances from other local governments apart from Zango Kataf.
“Nevertheless, we are very much aware that the PDP has a mechanism for addressing such complaints and it is important that such avenues of disparities get quick attention” he added.
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