Bayelsa State governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, has said that the prolonged Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership crisis taught the Party leaders valuable lessons.
He said that although the crisis was avoidable in the first place, the Party’s leadership would put in place measures to forestall re-occurrence of the needles crisis and litigations.
Dickson in a statement issued in Yenagoa on Sunday by his Special Adviser (Media Relations), Francis Agbo, said: “the prolonged PDP leadership crisis was avoidable in the first place.
“I believe that the PDP leaders have learnt their lessons. I hope that the PDP leadership would put in place measures to forestall re-occurrence of the needles crisis and litigations.”
The governor called on all PDP faithful and leaders to respect the judgement of the Supreme Court and team up with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee to move the party forward.
According to him, since the apex court has spoken as the final arbiter, PDP loyalists should cooperate with Makarfi to deliver reconciliation and an acceptable Unity National Convention within the shortest possible time frame.
He also advised the former national Chairman of PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his supporters to team up with Makarfi to move the party forward.
Dickson’s advice came amidst insistence by Sheriff faction of PDP in Lagos State that the judgment did not apply to them.
The governor who is also the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee of the PDP, said the verdict produced no victor, no vanquished.
Governor Dickson advised the Senator Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee and all leaders of the party to deliberately and ‘‘consistently pursue true and genuine reconciliation of all contending parties in the party with a view to organising an all-inclusive National Unity Convention to select the national leadership of PDP.‘’
He believed that true reconciliation and a National Unity Convention would build confidence in the party as well as ‘‘endear Nigerians to PDP and persuade those who had defected from our great party to return to PDP ahead of 2019.’’
While stressing that the judiciary only adjudicates on matters but never reconciles contending parties, Dickson said now that the Supreme Court had delivered the much expected judgement, the PDP must now reconcile and truly put its house in order to effectively play its role as the leading opposition party in Nigeria.
Dickson said, ‘‘I call on Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his supporters and all contending parties in our great party, PDP to respect the verdict of the Supreme Court as the final arbiter.
“I urge all contending parties in the PDP to embrace peace and genuine reconciliation and support the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee of our party with a view to organizing an all- inclusive National Unity Convention.
“Without such support, genuine reconciliation cannot take place; without such support, the Caretaker Committee will have a herculean task organising an acceptable convention, without genuine reconciliation, the party cannot move forward…’’
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