We’ll ensure return of aggrieved PDP members –Makarfi

*Accuses APC of refusing to hold meetings for fear of implosion

Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has promised to do everything possible to reach out to all its members who left before and after the 2015 general election to return, the Chairman, National Caretaker Committee (NCC), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has assured.

Senator Makarfi gave the assurance when he played host to the PDP women’s forum, who paid him a courtesy call yesterday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Makarfi further declared that the recent Supreme Court judgement in respect of the leadership crisis which rocked the party for a long time has reduced tension within the polity.

He pointed out that the reconciliation move of the party was beyond the recent leadership crisis with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

According to him, “We have a lot of work to do with regards to reconciliation. Talking about reconciliation in general terms not events of recent past.

“We need to go back to 2015 and before then. We will meet with party members who left the party.

“We need to expand and get new members. We will not just take PDP to where it used to be. We want PDP to go beyond what it used to be,” he said.

Makarfi however categorically said, “We won’t sacrifice those who have made investments. It is a question of balancing.”

The party chairman further stated that the recent crisis that rocked the party was about the survival of democracy in Nigeria.

He said “We are not strangers to one another. We have gone through a long battle. It is not a struggle for PDP leadership, but for democracy in Nigeria.”

Makarfi who described the apex court’s judgement over the party’s crisis as a landmark judgement, stressed “That it has stabilised the polity. As soon as this judgement came it seemed to have made tempers go down because people have seen the alternative they have been longing for.”

Also speaking while receiving a delegation of former speakers of Houses of Assembly in Abuja during a courtesy call, Makarfi berated the running All Progressives Congress (APC) for failing to hold meetings, claiming that this was because the party (APC) and its members are afraid of implosion.

The PDP chairman, who lambasted the APC for being afraid of holding meetings because of defections, boasted that the PDP held meetings during the leadership crisis.

He pointed out that immediately after the Supreme Court judgement, PDP held three majors meetings without fears of implosion.

Makarfi said “Even with our crisis we were never afraid to hold meetings. Within two days we held three meetings; expanded caucus meeting, caucus meetings, Board of Trustees (BoT) and National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

“It was like a market place. People came from everywhere but we didn’t fear. Nobody had to fear.

“The party in government wanted to copy us. They held a meeting with the Vice President. They came out and some governors threatened to leave the party.

“This was the first meeting they were having in two years and some governors threatened to leave,” he said.

He however assured that PDP will give credible and constructive opposition to the APC devoid of hate speech.

“We will give credible opposition but we won’t make hate speeches. We will talk in a language that will show that we are matured politicians.”