PDP won’t die under our watch -opposition govs
By Ndukaku Ihe
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have vowed that the opposition party will not die under their watch.
The Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri and his Plateau State counterpart, Caleb Mutfwang, stated this, at the inauguration of the protocol sub-committee for the forthcoming PDP National Convention, Monday, in Abuja.
Fintiri, who is also the Chairman of the PDP National Convention Organizing Committee( NCOC), said they are committed to ensuring that the convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital holds.
Ahead of the convention, loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, have been at logger heads with the National Working Committee (NWC) over party structure in some of the South South states.
The Wike camp has also kicked against the micro -zoning of the National Working Committee (NWC) amongst geo-political zones.
Nonetheless, the Adamawa governor assured that no party member will be denied the opportunity to contest for NWC seats at the convention.
He said: “And to reassure you that on our side, we are fully committed and will not leave any stone unturned. We are putting in our best and making sacrifices for us to have a successful convention and battle.
“The Chairman (Mutfwang) said I will be there (Ibadan) one week; I may be there three weeks, because to me, apart from Islam, PDP is next to any association that I believe has given me everything that I have achieved in life. So I will forever remain grateful to this party.
“And like he said, not under our leadership, not during our time, will we let this party down. People, as you can see and hear from their comments, are determined. And I assure you, with the kind of calibre of men and women that we are going to produce as our leaders to handle this party in the NWC after the convention, they are also going to be men and women of worth. When we parade them, the country will know that yes, the PDP is still alive.
“We are going to deny anybody going into the election. I am going to also ensure that we sit even in the screening committee to see that they don’t do any hanky-panky. Everybody that has purchased forms for screening, once he does not have any encumbrances in his documents or in his past lifestyle, will be screened. Go and test your popularity in the field. Go and test your popularity because we are already finalizing the names of the delegates.”
Fintiri added: “there is nothing to worry about. It’s a true democracy. If you feel you are popular, go to the field and test your strength. But I know at the end of the day, those who are most popular, those who will be supported by the majority, will be victorious.
“I want to assure you that even when we had our inaugural meeting, it wasn’t as full as this. So, it’s telling you that life is moving back to the party. People are beginning to trust what we are doing. People are beginning to show commitment to what we are doing.
“And at the end of the day, we will give you the kind of responsible leadership that is required to steer this party. PDP is not a small party. It is the biggest and largest party in sub-Saharan Africa. So, nothing less is expected to be put into it. Please, make sacrifices, you know what I mean. Make sacrifices and don’t mind any noise that you hear. We will be victorious at the end of it.”
Earlier, Mutfwang, who is the chairman of the Protocol Sub-Committee, noted that the opposition party is taking the convention very seriously.
“I have always advocated that those who started the PDP will not want or wish that it should die in our time.
We therefore have a responsibility to make sure that we keep the platform alive for the people of Nigeria.
“I am sure that if we are going to have a smooth convention, the work of this committee becomes very important.
We will be the ones to cross the T’s and dot the I’s. If you see any meeting well organized, with a lot of ease and flow, it’s because the protocol was well handled.
“It therefore means that our job is cut out for us. The essence of this inaugural meeting is for us to know ourselves, because our job is not in Abuja. Our job is in Ibadan at the appropriate time. It means we will have to arrive in Ibadan before other delegates”, the Plateau governor said.
