A former presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, has commended ongoing moves to persuade former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, to lead the party as its next National Chairman.
Anakwenze, in a statement personally signed by him, stated that Saraki was eminently qualified to lead the opposition party at this crucial time and reconcile all the aggrieved members and groups within the party.
He noted that the party urgently needed to learn from the leadership crisis which almost destroyed it, and was still rocking it, as the leading opposition party and the preference of the Nigerian electorate over the ruling APC with its abysmal record of gross incompetence and misgovernance in the last eight years.
Anakwenze stated that, to restore the confidence of the aggrieved members and that of the generality of Nigerians in the PDP as their own party and hasten the ongoing reconciliation efforts within the party, the party’s next presidential candidate should come from the South if Saraki, a Northerner, becomes the national chairman to ensure balance.
He, however, warned that repeating the mistake of the past of not considering the feelings and sentiments of members of the party from the South, who felt marginalised and aggrieved under the sacked Iyorchia Ayu leadership, would be too disastrous.
Anakwenze said: “At the root of the crisis rocking our great party the PDP today is the crass impunity displayed under the sacked leadership of the party, which rigidly kept to its wrong position of picking both the National Chairman and Presidential Candidate from the North and pretended that the Southern section of the Country do not exist.
“This action pushed away people who felt aggrieved, having no sense of belonging in the party as typified by the former G-5 Southern Governors led by Nyesom Wike, who is now a minister in the Tinubu-led APC administration.
“Now is the time to rebuild the PDP into a truly national party. If the next National Chairman comes from the North, the next presidential candidate of our great party should be a Southerner. ”
“I am ready to support Saraki to become the National Chairman of our Great party.”
