Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rose from a meeting in Abuja on Thursday and resolved to urgently identify and find quick solutions to the party’s challenges.
At the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the academic unit of the party, the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), the leaders urged all stakeholders to sacrifice personal interests for the growth of the party.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, warned that if the crisis is not quickly fixed, the country’s problems will escalate.
He observed that as the nation approaches 2027 for another general election, it is clear that the PDP has the capacity to provide direction for Nigerians.
“What would you want to be remembered for? This is a question every politician who has had to serve in any capacity in our great nation should ask themselves. Players will come and go. The situation is so dynamic, but you have to be remembered for something,” he asked.
“The only thing I can promise you is that since I have fetched water from that well I have been drinking since 2019, I will not pollute the well when it is time for me to exit that position.”
“The journey to this day has not been all smooth, but I’m thankful that we were able to overcome all the obstacles along the way.”
On the PDI, Makinde said that with the inauguration of the Institute’s Board of Governors, the PDP is moving a step closer to defining the ideology that the party stands for, and cementing what the party as a whole will want to be remembered for.
“Let me especially thank all the people who are members of the party, who have put aside grievances and played a role in the re-establishment and revitalization of the PDI,” recalling that the institute was formed during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“So, one would take a pause and say, okay, what happened during the 16 years of the PDI in power nationally?
“You can see that with the PDI, there is a pivotal role, and during those years, we can rightly refer to them as the golden years, because since we were working through the plan, we got debt forgiveness, we were interacting with everybody around the world, and we were not in pariah relations,” he said.
He called on members to rally around the party and set aside their differences, saying there is a need for true reconciliation and unity to wrestle power from the APC in Ondo State, whose governorship election has been slated for November 16, 2024.
Also speaking, former Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, noted that parties are built on ideas, philosophies, and policies, just as he stressed the need to move away from building ideas on self and ambition.
Saraki said: “We cannot have an ambition if we don’t have a party. We cannot have a party if we don’t have ideas. This is where it starts from. This is the foundation that is important.
“Let us desist from talking about who is running for councillor, or who is running for governor, or who is running for president in 2027. Let us talk about what is PDP. What does PDP represent? What are the issues and policies that we must take into account?
“This is what is important for us. This is what Nigerians outside want to know. This is what is important.”
Earlier, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Amb. Umar Damagum, who was represented by the party’s National Organizing Secretary, Hon. Umar Bature, said there is a need to reposition and unite the party to play its opposition role.
