Jonathan Goodluck and PDP governors in Bayelsa
FOLLOWING its defeat at the March 28 Presidential election and
ahead of the 2019 Presidential election, the National leadership of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP disclosed yesterday that it has concluded
arrangements to meet its founding fathers next year and beg them for
forgiveness as part of moves to reposition the party.
Though the party never came up with founding fathers to reach out,
but a source disclosed to Vanguard gathered that there were moves to
woo former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar; ex- minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Alhaji
Bamanga Tukur, others to plead with them even if some of them may not
want to play very active roles , but would continue to play such
fatherly roles as it were in the past.
Rising from its meeting yesterday in Abuja, the PDP Board of
Trustees, BoT while commenting President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-
corruption war aimed at putting the country in its rightful position
among comity of nation’s, however cautioned the President against what
the party termed, selective justice, adding that those alleged to be
corrupt do not only exist in the PDP, but in all facets of life
including the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the private sector,
among others.
Addressing Journalists after the meeting, BoT Secretary, Senator
Walid Jibrin who asked the President to beam its searchlight on those
who were formally of the PDP and now major players in the APC, said,
“we in the PDP do not support corruption, whoever erred in corruption
in Nigeria should be dealt with, but we don’t want selective justice.
Anybody that goes wrong, it is not only in PDP that you have corrupt
people, and this Dasukigate, is one aspect that this party will not go
against. We will not go against it provided that all the people that are
alleged to have done bad are brought to book. We are with anybody that
will rid Nigeria of corruption, we do not support corruption but as much
as we agree that we should deal with corrupt people, it should be fair.
Let us put our search not only in PDP, but among all Nigerians, not
only among the parties, even in the private sector you have corrupt
people.”
Senator Walid Jubrin disclosed that a larger meeting of BoT would be
convened January 14, 2016 where a a substantive chairman of the board
would take over from former minister of Defence, Alhaji Haliru Bello,
who presently occupies the office in an acting capacity.
He said, “As the conscience of the party, we are trying to dialogue
with the aggrieved people, we are ready to dialogue with the founding
fathers of this party, immediately after our meeting on the 14th of
January and having come with a new chairman, we are going round this
nation, we are going first to discuss with our founding fathers, all
those who are within and those who have left this party and try to lure
them and bring them back to the party because we have all the
opportunities now to win again all the elections up to 2019.
“And so we will not play with any member of the party, and we want
all party members to be cooperative with all organs of the party, we are
a special organ of the party, we are the conscience of this party. If
we do not come out and do something now, God will not even forgive us,
we must come out and tell the truth and look at the matters as they are;
whoever, erred, we must bring him to book, we must advise well, our is
advisory but we are given specific functions to do when there is
situation of this nature we must come to it. We want to be fair to all,
so that on the14th January we will gather and do the right thing and
will fear nobody, whoever erred, it is our duty to say the truth.
“I don’t believe the party is in shambles, the party is alive and
kicking very well. We have many aggrieved people in the party and people
who have left this party because of one reason or the other”.
Speaking further on the election of a new BoT Chairman, Jubril who
noted that the board has not penciled down anybody to emerge as
substantive chairman, however explained that if the current Acting
chairman, Alhaji Haliru Bello wants the position, he was free to
contest, adding, “The procedure of electing a new chairman will be
discuss on the14 January, if Bello wants to contest he is so much
welcome to contest”.
Commenting on the sack of the PDP acting national chairman, Prince
Uche Secondus by Abuja High Court, the BoT Secretary said “We have
decided that all legal matters will be looked at on January 14, so we
are not in a hurry to discuss any legal matter now. But on the January
14, there are many of them, they will be looked at and bring sanity to
the PDP”.
On the proposed National Convention fixed for March 19, 2016 by the
National Working Committee, NWC, Jubrin who noted that NWC could act
for the National Executive Committee (NEC), said that NWC did not err
in fixing a date for the national convention, adding, “when you read
the constitution of our party, the NWC can act on behalf of the National
Executive Committee (NWC); thereafter present the issue to the NEC and
then to the national convention. So if NWC has proposed dates for
congresses up to the national convention, it is not bad at all. It will
be brought before NEC and it will go to the national convention for
approval. I don’t think they have gone out of their bound at all”.
In a communique at the end of the meeting and signed by Secretary of
BoT, Senator Walid Jubrin who noted that Quorum was not formed due to
crucial party activities in Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Ekiti and some of
the party activities in some states, said that bad weather situations in
some parts of the country also prevented flights.
However, the meeting recommended that a larger meeting of BoT be
held14th January 2016 to elect a substantive BoT chairman and therefore
advised all BoT members to attend the meeting.
#beinformed
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