•Says APC a broken party •Gov. Dickson reconciliation committee opens talks with aggrieved party members
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Newly elected chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus formally assumed duties at the party’s national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, yesterday.
He said the main agenda of the new leadership under his watch is to rebuild the PDP and lead it to victory in the 2019 general elections.
Speaking after a brief handing over ceremony, Secondus said the new National Working Committee (NWC) would work hard to take the party to a new height.
He reiterated the readiness of the opposition party to regain power from the All Progressives Congress (APC), so as to rebuild the country, which he said has been broken by the ruling party.
“We know that the APC and their government are broken. They are running a broken government. We need to rescue our nation from their hands to rebuild our country once more.
“We will never be distracted by the ruling party and their false propaganda. Nigerians know the truth now that all they have been saying in the last two years are mere lies.
“Nigerians can no longer be fooled by false propaganda. They will hear the truth and the truth will save the country, not by false propaganda.” He said there was no victor or vanquished in the contest for various positions at the party convention held last weekend in Abuja.
According to him, the new leadership has started reaching out to all those who lost out in a bid to serve the party.
“Our first assignment will be to bring all and sundry together, that is reconciliation. We reassure leaders of our party, especially those who contested this election. We have already started work and by the grace of God, it will be productive. We promise to rebuild the party to regain the lost grounds. That will start today. The gates of the party had been thrown open to all Nigerians to come in, there is no more barrier,” he said.
To pacify its members who may have felt aggrieved over the outcome of the national convention, the post convention Reconcilation Committee is set to begin work.
Chairman of the committee and Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson said yesterday in Abuja that the committee will soon commence visitation to aggrevied aspirants and other party leaders, who have reservation with the outcome of the convention.
Recall that two of the aspirants for the position of national chairmanship, Prof. Tunde Adeniran and Chief Raymond Dokpesi had expresssd misgivings about the exercise, with the former calling for cancellation on account of alleged irregularities.
Also, former deputy national chairman, Chief Olabode George, who withdrew from the race on the eve of the convention, had described the exercise as a sham.
George said he would maintain a “siddon look” posture in the affairs of the party henceforth.