The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Saturday assured its members
of adequate “protection, accommodation and a level playing ground at
every level of political engagement and aspirations” ahead of the 2019
general elections.
PDP said it has taken note of all concerns raised by highly respected
and committed leaders of the party, as it concerns accommodation of
interests as well as new alignments, and has since taken extensive
measures that would ultimately ensure that no person or group is, in
anyway, short-changed.
This is coming at a time former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the
party, Ahmed Makarfi cautioned PDP leadership of those defecting back
into the party.
Makarfi had warned against giving undue advantage to those defecting back into the party.
However, a statement by PDP’s spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said,
“While the PDP appreciates and values such concerns, it is instructive
to inform that the national leadership of our party has already
envisaged the challenges of an enlarged family and has since made
adequate arrangements that would effectively cover all interests for the
task ahead.
“The repositioned PDP has amply learnt from the past. All members
must therefore dispel every fear in relation to control of our structure
as well as processes for selection of candidates for election,
especially on the choice of our Presidential candidate, as such will be
handled with the strictest adherence to the principles of internal
democracy and zero tolerance for imposition.
“Our great party has now, more than ever before, become a centre of
the new patriotic and broad-based engagements by overwhelming majority
of Nigerians, across board, in the renewed democratic realignment that
places priority on rescuing our nation from the misrule of President
Muhammadu Buhari and his anti-people All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Whereas the APC has the colossal misfortune of being stuck with a
very unpopular and unimpressive presidential candidate, who has brought
unpardonable pain and anguish to millions of innocent citizens, the PDP
remains open, as the only dependable platform for all Nigerians, across
board, to democratically and transparently coalesce and throw up that
credible pan-Nigerian President and a government of national unity to
move our nation out of the woods which we have been plunged by the
dysfunctional APC.”
The PDP also urged all members to “join forces with millions of
compatriots who are already rallying on our rebranded platform to
achieve this collective quest, which has become to them, a national
emergency, come 2019.”