… Say Big Wigs Involved In Anti-Party Activities Be Shown The Door
… Member Wants National Convention For Election Of Officers
LAGOS – As leaders of Nigeria’s troubled main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seek an end to its internal conflicts, Hon. John Kome has urged them to shun intrigues and backstabbing.
PDP stakeholders, including the Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) members and the Central Working Committee (CWC) members have been making frantic efforts to mend the ‘torn umbrella’ that once claimed to be the largest in Africa before it was toppled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.
Hon. Kome, the party’s former House of Assembly candidate for Ikeja Constituency 1 seat in the Lagos House of Assembly, who spoke to Sunday Independent exclusively, stressed that the conflict in the PDP was exacerbated when the interest of certain individuals and groups played against the general interest of the party during the party’s primaries and the general elections of 2023.
Dr Kome stated: “Politics of intrigues and backstabbing overrule party supremacy. That brought uncontrolled and unabated division among the leadership at the highest level.
“With these interests overriding the party’s constitution and party discipline, it will be difficult to attain lasting peace in the party.
“Genuine peace can only be achieved through sincere reconciliation when leaders can bury their pride and seek forgiveness of those who were offended and backstabbed.
“I was at the presidential primaries conducted in Abuja and I witnessed firsthand these politically intriguing situations played against one another in the same political family.
“I urge party elders and chieftains to seek the forgiveness of all aggrieved party members and leaders at every level in all the states of the federation who had at one time or the other, contributed to the building of the party.”
Hon. Dennis Adikwuru, another PDP chieftain, who also spoke Sunday Independent, while commending the current reconciliatory efforts by the party’s stakeholders, pointed out that the party must be bold to take a stand on the fate of former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, now serving as the Federal Capital Territory Minister under the President Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
Hon. Adikwuru, a PDP chieftain in Imo State, and a member of Imo State Presidential Campaign Council under Media and Publicity Sub-committee in the 2023 elections, maintained that one good step taken so far to resolve the crisis is the restoration of status quo, which he said should be followed by the setting up of disciplinary committee to look into Wike’s issue.
Adikwuru, erstwhile State Publicity Secretary, Imo State Professionals for Atiku, said: “The cancerous infection from Wike must be ejected from PDP, if we must move the party forward.
“The party should commence the process of conducting its National Convention to elect a new set of national officers.
“I see possibilities of the return of PDP’s best faces like Peter Obi, Emeka Ihedioha and the rest who left the party in protest of Wike’s anti-PDP gestures to APC.
“If PDP is returned to its former base of civility, decorum and internal democracy, the 2027 general elections will swing back electoral victory to PDP.”
Bishop Joseph Ighalo Edoro, a cleric and public affairs commentator, while speaking to Sunday Independent, described peace as the absence of troubles, worries, rancour or intrigues.
According to him, “To hear that the PDP leaders are making moves to resolve their differences is good news. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Peace in PDP is vital to this assertion.
“However, it is clear that what you see unfolding in this regard in PDP is the voice of Esau and hand of Jacob. Therefore, all must come with genuine intent for peace.
Advertisement
“Deliberations must be on the bedrock of concession. Give and take. The soul of the party is important to the overall political structure of Nigeria.
“The leaders should know that there are external factors deliberately using internal forces to destabilise the party. Be that as it may, peace is golden.
“No one should be left out. All parties must be contacted and brought home. Nigerians await them. I pray for them to let peace reign finally.”
Barrister Emeka Iheonu, a Lagos lawyer, on his own, told Sunday Independent, “They (PDP leaders) should stop being selfish and greedy and seek the nation’s and the masses’ interests first in their decisions and actions.
“They should abhor the principle of godfatherism especially being practised by their governors.”
Hon. Charles Anike, the National President of Eastern Union (EU), a socio-political pressure group for the people of the Old Eastern Region, stated: “The present leadership of the PDP lacks courage and needs to step up, if they really want to revive and redeem the lost glory of the party.
“The leadership needs to muster courage to call a spade a spade. There are people who have no business remaining members of the party, yes, I mean those who do not have and are not driven by any political ideology and culture.
“Their only interest is how to grab power and to remain in power by all means.
“Some of such people have in the time past defected from the party many times and returned to still have over bearing influences in the party, even though they spearheaded the dethronement of the party.
“These set of cabals need to be gotten rid of, if peace and tranquility must return to the party.
“There must be a system or a place in the party constitution that must in clear terms state the status of returnees who willfully dumped the party to seek greener pastures.
“Such people, if possible, should never be allowed back into the party, not to talk of flying the party’s flag in any national elective position.
“As long as the party’s leadership still tolerates and condones characters like Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal, Dino alongside others that joined forces to dethrone the party in 2015, and recently Wike that also joined forces to work against the party in 2023 election, the PDP will never experience genuine peace.
“These set of self-centered individuals must be expelled before the party can make any meaningful progress.”
Dr Victor Mathew, a security expert and human rights advocate, maintained that the PDP is supposed to be the main opposition party, lamenting that the leaders are so disorganised to offer any form of opposition.
Dr. Mathew, Executive Director, Kingdom Advocacy Network (KAN), stressed: “Things fell apart and the party crises became full blown towards the 2023 presidential election with the emergence of Atiku from the North and Dr Ayu also from the North retaining his position as national chairman.
“I will not bother here mentioning the recent suspension of the Acting Chairman by a faction of the NWC and counter suspension of some NWC members by another faction.
“To me, the solutions are straightforward. Let the Acting National Chairman step down. Let the North Central take back the National Chairmanship position originally zoned to them.
“The BoT of the party must be decisive in resolving the present crises. There must be discipline. People that deserve to be disciplined, should be disciplined, including Wike, if he is found culpable.
“The G-5 should retrace their steps and stop anti-party activities. The FCT Minister Wike should decide and declare whether he is in PDP or APC,”
