PDP Conference: Don’t stir fresh controversy, Uzodimma warns PDP members
Fatimah Abdullahi
A chieftain of the Nigeria’s main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP representing Imo West in the National Assembly, Hope Uzodimma, has cautioned those trying to stir a fresh crisis in the party to sheath their swords and remain faithful and loyal members of the party.
Uzodimma, a member of PDP Board of Trustees and former chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, stated this during his interaction with journalists on Friday in Abuja against the backdrop of reports on the divergence of views over a planned reform conference by some stakeholders.
According to him, the PDP proposed reform conference is a good idea but quickly added that “an ad- hoc approach would not fetch the party full benefits.”
Instead, he appealed to the party’s stakeholders to wait for the report of the post-election assessment committee which would be submitted to its National Executive Committee by end of September 2015 and which is expected to provide the party with an all guidelines that would enable it work for its needed repositioning.
While commending the organizers of the proposed conference for their genuine concern for the welfare of PDP, the BoT member urged them to exercise caution and remain with the team spirit for which the party is known.
He said a lot has gone into the work of the Post-Election Assessment Committee and as such, the party should strive to maximize the benefits expected from setting up the committee which is made up of trusted and experienced men and women with impeccable credentials.
The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, had said it would reposition the party for future elections through a national conference where issues bordering on how to reshape PDP would be discussed.
According to him, a lot of corrections needed to be made due to what he described as the many mistakes of the past.
He added that it was only the PDP members that could contribute to efforts to correct the mistakes of the past.
Metuh was reacting to the crisis generated as a result of the claim by the National Working Committee of PDP that it had shifted the proposed national conference of the party scheduled for October.
The proposed conference was being put together by some members of the BoT of the party, who were backed by both the board and the national caucus of the party.
But because of the alleged fear being nursed by the NWC members that the conference would be used against them, they said the conference must not hold until December.
Metuh, however, said the NWC members were not against the proposed conference, but insisted that all stakeholders of the party would be involved in the conference.
Metuh said, “The NWC, the BoT and even the PDP Governors’ Forum are on the same page on this. We want the national conference and it must hold because we need to know what to do to rebuild the party. If the party had done well, we wouldn’t have lost election and we need this conference to fashion out ways to rebuild it.
“A lot of corrections need to be made due to many mistakes of the past. And it is only party members that will contribute to ensure that that happens. So we need that conference.
“So, we are confirming that that the conference must hold. But we are in need of all the organs, critical stakeholders of the party to participate and make inputs.”
