AGAINST the backdrop of utterances from members of opposition parties, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, declared that some people were bent on bringing down the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government. Therefore, he urged the party faithful to rise to the challenge.
He spoke at the 60th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Abuja just as the PDP’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, lamented the decay in the ruling political party and vowed to chart a new course.
Jonathan, who reiterated the resolve of his administration to tolerate opposition, noted that if PDP were not a robust party, the government would have collapsed.
“Let me assure you that we will continue to do our best and continue to project the government and the party. People want to drown us, PDP and you see, most of the statements being made by these people is because they know PDP is a very robust party. And for you now to make sure that people don’t vote for PDP, irrespective of the election, whether it is councillorship election, House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governor or president, is to say that PDP is bad because of the philosophy of people like Adolf Hitler who said that if you say the wrong thing one thousand times, it becomes the right thing.
“It is our duty to continue to resist and tell Nigerians the correct things we are doing and we believe that if we do not have a party as robust as the PDP, probably, the present Republic would have collapsed, because we witnessed what happened in the First Republic. We know the circumstances that led to the collapse of the Second Republic and we know what is happening in other African countries. If the ruling party over- intimidates and over-imposes, using the weight of the Federal Government and the citizens revolt, it weakens the political system.
Stating the preparedness of the PDP to absolve the shock, the President said: “PDP, though will control the Federal Government, will operate a system that gives leverage for the opposition. They even fly higher than us. They abuse us more but we allow it and it is the way the PDP is handling the affairs of this country that is stabilising democracy.”
He called on members of the party to rise to the occasion by telling Nigerians the great things that the government has done. To this end, he promised that ministers of key ministries would be invited to NEC meetings to brief party elders on the activities of government so that they could take the message to the grassroots.
“So, even in the motor parks, in the public places, in the market, when people are talking about the government, and you are interacting with them, you will do that from point of knowledge because, in most cases, even on the television, people discuss things with quarter knowledge, not even with quarter knowledge and when you listen to them, you feel sad how Nigerians are being misinformed everyday. So, I believe that what we need to do is that from time to time, any NEC meeting that we have time, I can call a minister with a key portfolio to make some presentation”, he said.
Tukur lamented the departure of the past leadership of the party from the ideals of the founding fathers and expressed confidence that the measures being taken by his administration would return the party to the people.
“The mission of my agenda as the national chairman of the party is defined and tailored towards building a political party that is absolutely disposed to pursue new goals and consolidating on the current stages of transformation and stabilisation processes.
“In this vein, PDP must reconcile to arrest the escalation of maximised tensions in our midst by resorting to idealise the political moment and eliminate the negative perceptions.
“As a political party, PDP should open new reform chapters to remould our attitudes, values and beliefs in democratic governance. This notion illustrates the discrepancies in our images, including the political environment of inadequate information and unwarranted expectations that account for different interpretations and characterisations that impede our kind of modesty’’, he said.
The chairman continued: “Similarly, some visible attitudes of our political growth are less-friendly, confrontationally- dangerous and hostile to the political administration.”
Speaking on the call for restructuring of the polity, he said: “Nigerians believe in peaceful co-existence but many are in support of regional autonomy probably for political selfishness. We publicly denounce ethnic segregation but struggle to become local leaders not national champions thus creating more discomfort for our image in the face of globalization.”
On the major challenge before the party, Tukur said: “Power acquisition and struggle for succession within the party has become a source of worry as a result of deliberate strangulation of the party’s constitution to suit some personal agenda. The supremacy of the party’s constitution shall prevail only in a circumstance where significant orientations are carried out for insightful understanding of its contents by the entire membership. Lack of enforcement of disciplinary actions has been identified as genesis for disregard of the party’s constitution while resistance to internal democracy cannot be ruled out as another phenomenon.”
Reading the resolution of NEC at the end of the marathon meeting, the national publicity secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, said:
• NEC received draft copies of the 2012 amended Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party. The meeting resolved to allow members study the document carefully and make notes on typographical errors and omisions for final adoption at the next NEC meeting.
• The meeting clarified that this is not another Constitution review exercise but an effort to perfect the document in line with the amendments approved at the March 24th National Convention.
• NEC condoled the government and people of Rivers State over the tragic loss of lives in the recent fire disaster in Ahoada. NEC also condoled the government and people of Plateau State over the death of Senator Gyang Dantong and Hon. Gyang Fulani as well as many others in recent disturbances in the state.
• NEC passed an emphatic vote of confidence on the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. The NEC put on record, Mr. President’s perfect understanding of the unabridged rights of the people to free electoral choice as the basis of democracy and good governance. Despite challenges, it is the unanimous view of NEC members that the President is right on course in the transformation of Nigeria.
• NEC also unanimously endorsed the National Chairman’s new agenda of Reconciliation, Reformation and Rebuilding of the party. NEC further passed a vote of confidence on the National Working Committee led by Tukur.
• Finally, NEC appealed to all aggrieved groups in the country to give peace a chance and embrace dialogue for the sake of our dear country. NEC condemned the wanton destruction of life and property in recent incidents and appealed to law enforcement agencies to redouble their efforts in stemming this ugly trend.
Also, yesterday, the Secretary of Board of Trustees (BoT) Jibril Walid, said the board did not discuss the issue of new chairman to replace former President Olusegun Obasanjo because the party has a new constitution that will guide the process.
Guardian
April 26, 2014, 07:30:13 AM