PDP Heading for Destruction – Mark

Senate President, David Mark foresees a cataclysmic end for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if its members do not put an immediate end to their public in-fighting.

However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, believes that the PDP has already got over its post-election trauma.

Senator Mark, in an open statement on Wednesday, issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh, lamented the continued acrimony among members of the party.

“The PDP is already haemorrhaging,” he said.

According to the statement, the Senate President stated this while receiving the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who heads the PDP post – election assessment committee.

He pointed out that “unless we halt the bleeding and find the necessary therapy, we may be heading for the final burial of the party”.

He also noted that “the party is already in a comatose status and we should do all we can to resuscitate the party rather than this unnecessary rancour and buck-passing”.

He said further: “The emerging factions are absolutely unnecessary.  The combatants must sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue.  My appeal is that we should not do anything further that would damage the already fragmented house.

“Everybody should come together and rebuild the party.  We have gotten enough bruises.  We need not inflict further pains on ourselves, with continuous bickering. Enough of this blame-game.  We should return to the drawing board and need not wash our dirty linen in the public, anymore.”

Mark continued: “I believe a useful lesson has been learnt from the PDP electoral misfortune.  As for me, it is time to put on our thinking caps and chart a new course.”

“I trust Senator Ekweremadu that he and his team will do a good job and unearth the remote and immediate causes of our misfortune and make recommendations that will enhance the future of the party”, Mark added.

While noting that he had worked closely with Ekweremadu over the years and was confident of his capacity to handle issues, Mark called on all stakeholders to rise above the present circumstances and work hard to rejuvenate the party.

He said the new status of the PDP as an opposition is a challenge which members must face with all honesty, sincerity of purpose and dedication to duty, adding “Nigeria and our democracy would be better for it if  we play credible opposition to ensure good governance and delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigerians”.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday commended its leader, President Goodluck Jonathan for his matured and timely intervention in ending the bickering among leaders of the party as a result of the outcome of the 2015 general elections.

Metuh in a statement in Abuja, expressed expressed regrets that the party has in the last few days been engaged in open acrimony.

He said in a press statement: “The leadership of the PDP regrets any embarrassment the avoidable skirmishes may have caused the members of our great party, especially our founding fathers and teeming supporters across the country.

“We are aware that this unfortunate development is a consequence of post election trauma arising from our first ever defeat. We however note with relief that we have now overcome this challenge.

“The National Working Committee assures that in the new spirit of harmony in the PDP family, the re-engineering process which began on Tuesday with the inauguration of the Post Election Review Committee will be vigorously sustained to restore the lost glory of our great party.

“We therefore urge all our members to ensure that they henceforth guard their utterances and actions no matter the provocation and distortions in some section of the media while channeling their energies and ideas towards the rebuilding process.

“In this regard, all members who have reports, grievances and suggestions on the way forward should transmit same to the Post-Election Review Committee for an all inclusive roadmap in the overall effort to regain power in 2019.

“Our members should be wary of the activities of some mischievous persons within and outside the PDP family who are bent on frustrating this peace effort.

“Such individuals and groups have found the social media a veritable tool for their mischief through distortion of facts, false allegations and fabrications against our party”, the National Publicity secretary of the PDP said in the statement.

The PDP leadership therefore urged all members to join forces to ensure that the core values and the vision of the founding fathers are sustained while also directing all organs of the party to focus only on party administration in a manner that rekindles zeal and commitment among members and supporters at all levels.