The Bayelsa State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Reconciliation Committee, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday led the party’s reconciliation committee to the Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State residence of a former Governor of the state and last weekend’s National Chairmanship aspirant of the party, Senator Rashidi Ladoja.
Dickson, Ladoja and others at the end of their closed-door meeting, which lasted over about two hours, were unanimous that the ruling All Progressives Congress had let Nigerians down and was therefore no longer an option for the country in 2019.
Dickson said the PDP would do well in the coming elections, especially with juggernauts like Ladoja as grandmaster.
With Dickson were the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party, Ambassador Aminu Wali; Senator Abdullah Ningi; John Odey; former Minister of State of the Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide; the zonal leadership of the party, led by its Chairman, Dr. Eddy Olafeso; members of the National Working Committee of the party, including its National Publicity Secretary and his Deputy, Kola Ologbondiyan and Diran Odeyemi respectively.
Dickson disclosed that Ladoja had assured the PDP leadership that he would mobilise other leaders in the region for the success of the party in the South West and at the national level.
The governor said there was nobody in the PDP who did not know that “where Ladoja goes determines where Oyo State goes”, commending him for returning to the party he co-founded with others and “nurtured to victory and prominence”.
The chairman described as propaganda, insinuations in certain quarters that the South West had been relegated with the loss of the national chairmanship position, assuring leaders in the region that the zone would continue to occupy a pride of place in the PDP and in all the calculations the party would have moving forward.
He explained that the purpose of the visit was to address “some concerns and issues” that came to the fore in the aftermath of the party’s national convention.
Dickson said: “Our country is at a crossroads, in very difficult and trying times.
“These are times that we need the guidance and wise counsel of leaders like Ladoja across the country.
“We had a very fruitful and robust discussion.
“It is reassuring that Ladoja, the leader of men we have always known, is available to continue to play that leadership role for our party and for the service of our country.
“He is not only the leader in Oyo State, he is a key pillar of PDP in South West and Nigeria as a whole.
“We discussed other issues on how we can address some concerns and issues on how the party can be best repositioned to work for a better Nigeria.
“He has assured us that having a Nigeria that works for all is the reason he is in politics.
“Nothing that is a product of human hand is ever perfect.
“That is a fact of life and affairs of a political party are not an exception.
“That is part of why we are here in Ibadan.
“By the way, politics is the art of managing conflicting interests and resolving issues.
“Here is Oyo State and in the South West, we have a grandmaster who has seen it all as a former governor, Senator.
“We know that in his hands, the fate of the PDP in Oyo and South West is safe.
“In his hands and with him mobilising and galvanising other leaders and the followership and the people of the South West, the zone will continue to occupy its pride of place in the PDP.”
In his remarks, Ladoja, who commended the committee, which he said was being led by a straightforward governor, assured Dickson that all the aspirants who lost out in the power play for the national chairmanship position would remain in the PDP.
The former governor said he and other aspirants had held discussions after the convention and had secured firm assurances from them that they would remain in the party.
He said: “In Nigeria today, APC is not an option.
“If you are talking of getting power to lift Nigerians out of poverty, serve them, it is those of us in PDP who are going to do that.
“You would have observed that something dramatic happened at the convention when aspirants from the South West picked a consensus candidate in Prof. Tunde Adeniran.
“Since the convention, those of us from the South West have been talking and all of us are remaining in the PDP.”
Earlier, Akinjide, a member of the committee, said the new national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, had assured the committee that the old order of people bringing issues to the national headquarters to distract the National Working Committee had gone.
She said: “The committee met with the new national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, and the new NWC.
“He spoke at length and passionately about how he has come in as a servant-leader, how the old order will change under his leadership, no imposition of candidates, and no impunity.
“He also spoke about how he is going to devolve power to empower the state and zonal leaders and how whatever is decided by the leadership at the state is not going to be changed at the national headquarters.
“It is important that we give this message because I know this is what borders people in Oyo and other states.
“What people can’t win in the state, they will go to Wadata Plaza and misrepresent to get and then this causes disaffection.
“We can’t deny Secondus’ experience in party administration, starting from the defunct National Party of Nigeria, the defunct National Republican Convention and then to the PDP.
“He has occupied positions.
“He told us he has seen that bringing problems from the states to the headquarters does not let the NWC do its real job, which is to strategise and to lead the party to confront the government in power.
“So, they don’t want that distraction and he has said we should convey that message everywhere we go that it is not going to be business as usual.
“We are John the Baptist, the forerunner.
“He himself (Secondus) is also going to follow once the ground had been wet and broken by us.
“He and the NWC will follow through on this.
“I think it is important to give them that benefit of the doubt and support them.
“Oyo is a PDP state and we shall reclaim Oyo in 2019 by the grace of God.
“We are here to plead that you should not retreat to Oyo, but to help us in the South West and at the national to reclaim the Presidency.”
Also speaking, Ambassador Wali commended what he called the unique contribution of Ladoja to the development of the PDP, adding that this had earned him respect, which he said was not limited to Yorubaland but spread throughout the country.
“We are confident that we will reach our goal with the support and understanding of people like you,” he said.
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