PDP Crisis: Jonathan Asks Combatants to sheathe Swords

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President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday night held a peace meeting with the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and some of his aides at the Presidential Villa where he directed a cease fire among feuding members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Also, the party inaugurated a committee to review the circumstances that led to the defeat of the PDP at the general election and to chart a roadmap to reform  the party ahead of 2019 elections.

Giving details of the meeting with the president, the National Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, who inaugurated the committee on behalf of the national chairman,  said the president had directed all warring members of the party  to sheath their swords over the budding crisis.
According to the PDP  national secretary, “Let me use this opportunity to relay President Jonathan’s message to all PDP leaders and members. He has given definite instruction that all acts of unwarranted attacks and counter-attacks on members and leadership of the party should stop immediately.”

Oladipo said the terms of reference of the Review Committee which has three weeks to submit its report, included: “To identify the remote and immediate causes of the relatively poor performance of the PDP in the 2015 general election.
“To trace the origin and process of the seeming decline of the party in its electoral performance.
“To take a critical look at the preparations and build-up of the PDP to the general election and determine its adequacies and lapses.
“To review and determine the adequacy of the structures for the 2015 general elections and how those structures functioned “To ascertain the degree of anti-party activities, compromises and outright sabotage that may have contributed to the misfortunes of our party at the elections.
“To look at the funding of the elections to determine whether or not the funds meant for the campaigns were adequate and whether disbursements were properly done.
“To identify different groups in the party which were to play critical roles before and during the elections, and determine the effectiveness or otherwise;
“To determine any other matter that may be considered necessary in the interest of the party.
“To propose a road map for the party to recover its past glory and definitely win the general elections in 2019.”

In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the PDP Post Election Review Committee, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who lamented the out come of the elections, said: “Let me empathise with party faithful  across the country over what has been generally accepted as the poorest outing of the PDP in any general election since its birth in 1998.

“Our pains and disappointments are well founded, especially given the enormous hopes and prospects the party holds as a pan-Nigerian movement for social, economic, and political transformation. Thus, it is not a loss for the PDP only, but a loss to the great people of this country that the party lost the steering at the time it had laid a solid foundation through the transformation agenda of the present administration.”

However, he said Nigerians  must appreciate the fact that change is the only constant thing in life, stressing, “Much as we are pained by the sad turn of events, we must come to terms with the fact that anger, recriminations, self-pity and blame trading will not take us even an inch away from the harsh outcomes of the 2015 general election.”

The governors of Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Abia States and the National Chairman of PDP, Adamu Mu’azu, were absent.
But the PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh, explained their absence, blaming it on communication gap, stating: “The governors thought that the absence of the national chairman would affect the date of inauguration of the committee.”

He said the secretary of the committee, Walid Jubril, who was absent on health ground would be replaced in the interim as secretary by the former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri.

The committee has three weeks to submit its report.
Meanwhile,  Mu’azu, said if he had his way he would have delivered Bauchi, his home state, to President Jonathan in the general election.
Mu’azu said those who are criticising him for the poor outing of the party during the election are “being economical with the truth,” because he did his best for the PDP.

“I gave my best and all to the campaign of Mr. President and the party. We went to every state in Nigeria to campaign; those who insinuated that I did not do my best for our great party and Mr. President during election are being economical with the truth,” he wrote on his Twitter page.


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