Former ministers of the PDP yesterday relaxed their call on the party’s new Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff to immediately step down.
In their resolution, PDP Former Ministers Forum, said Sheriff should conduct congresses at all levels of the party leading to the national convention to be held on March 28 and then vacate office.
The forum also condemned all acts of impunity in the running of the party and called for adherence to the party’s constitution, agreeing to continue with consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
It, however, condemned alleged threat to one of its members, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, by Sheriff, saying a threat to one of its members was a threat to all.
In his remarks, chairman of the forum, Mr. Tanimu Turaki, expressed optimism that although the party lost the 2015 elections, it would bounce back again to reclaim its place of pride in the nation’s political landscape.
Turaki at the opening session of the Forum’s maiden meeting in Abuja, stressed that despite deliberate attempt to change the narrative on the tremendous achievements of the PDP government in the last 16 years, members of the forum are determined to defend and protect achievements recorded.
According to him, “People had predicted that Nigeria will disintegrate in 2015 but the PDP kept Nigeria together. If we can save Nigeria, we can save our party if we save PDP, we are saving democracy in Nigeria.
“Some insinuations have been made that we are not a recognized organ of the constitution of the party. But we have our rights as members of the national caucus.
“We are stakeholders. We are leaders in our various states and we have more than a passing interest in our party.
“We may be down today because we lost elections but we are not out. We are coming back and this is the beginning of our coming back.”
Recalling the PDP years, Turaki said “When we came in 1999, we inherited a wobbling economy. We made it not only the fastest growing economy in the world but we were the third destination for foreign direct investment in Africa.
“We strengthened the banking sector. The faith of Nigerians in the Diaspora was restored in the country and they came back to invest in the country. We sustained an exchange rate regime that was stable between N94 to N115 to a Dollar.
“We moved agriculture from subsistence level to business. We respected court orders. We were able to build and sustain existing infrastructure. New airports were built.
“In the health sector, we ensured that each state of the federation had a teaching hospital or a federal medical Centre.
“We eradicated polio. We wrestled Ebola to the ground. We are not fighting for space with anybody. We will defend our legacy so that the narrative is not changed.
“The successes of PDP was because we believed power belong to the people and we must be with the people. That is why Nigerians trusted us to 16 years”, Turaki stated.
In attendance were John Odey, Musa Sada, Jerry Gana, Fani- Kayode, Prof. ABC Nwosu, Mrs Josephine Anenih, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Ambassador Aminu Wali, Shetima Mustapha, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, among others.
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