PDP begins reforms, plans summit of elders, governors

• Asks ACN, Tinubu to admit lying on invitation to U.S.

• Tukur meets South-West leaders, re-admits Fayose

• Sambo heads Ondo guber polls’ campaign team

IN the search for a new order, the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reached out to some of its estranged founding fathers and members.

In the first of such reconciliation efforts, the party’s leadership led by the National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, on Tuesday night met with some PDP leaders from the South-West geo-political zone when issues bordering on the party’s dwindling fortunes in the zone were discussed.

Other steps being taken by the PDP to bring back its old members are an “elders’ summit” and brainstorming session with governors elected on its platform.

Also yesterday, the PDP took up the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his presence at the recent convention of the United States (U.S.) Democratic Party.

The PDP asked the ACN and Tinubu to admit that they lied by telling Nigerians that former Lagos State governor was sent a gold card invitation by the American party to attend the event.

Sources at the peace meeting held at Tukur’s residence in Abuja told The Guardian that it was part of the ongoing efforts of the PDP hierarchy to improve on the party’s fortunes at the 2015 general elections.

Tukur reportedly said the party would not wait until 2015 before it starts reconciling with its aggrieved founding fathers and other key members.

The South-West delegation led by Otunba Oyewole Fasawe was assured by Tukur that the PDP would not field any candidate who did not perform well in their incumbent offices whether at the party level or in public office for the 2015 polls.

Already, the PDP has re-admitted former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose. His re-admission yesterday came six years after he was expelled from the party.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, he said the decision was taken yesterday at the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in Abuja.

“The NWC of the PDP at its 315th regular meeting held on Wednesday (yesterday) considered important party matters and arrived at the following resolutions:

• The NWC ratified the re-admission of Peter Ayo Fayose into the party with effect from September 14, 2011. The NWC also approved a waiver for Fayose in line with the provision of Article 8(a) and Article 17.2 (g) of the PDP constitution with effect from September 14, 2011.

• By this action, Fayose is cleared to enjoy all rights and privileges of a member of the PDP without let or hindrance,”

the statement read.

Fayose was expelled from the PDP for alleged anti-party activities in 2006.

The PDP also raised a campaign committee headed by Vice President, Namadi Sambo for the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo.

The statement added: “The NWC also approved the Constitution of a National Campaign Committee for the forthcoming Gubernatorial Election in Ondo State. The 32- member Committee of eminent Nigerians has the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Arc. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, GCON as Chairman while the National Legal Adviser, Barrister Victor Kwon is the Secretary.

The Committee shall be inaugurated by the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur in due course’’.

According to Tukur, the PDP had been repackaged with the opening of democratic space under “Reconciliation, Rebuilding and Reformation (3Rs)” with a view to reclaiming the lost states.

The new approach, he said, would attract more members while those who left the PDP in anger would be encouraged to return.

His words: “Some people are accusing us of not doing anything. But you and I know that we need not rush to embarking on actions aimed at making our great party regain its groove in political engineering and operations. We are, at the moment, making consultations with PDP elders, youths, women and every relevant group on how best to take off so that we begin to regain the lost grounds.

“I am saying that we have started reconstructing our beautiful umbrella and in the process, we will block all loopholes, we will extend the shelter, we will strengthen the structure and make it more attractive to everybody. At the end of it all, PDP will rise up powerfully and prove its strength as the only national party in Nigeria through subsequent elections that will be devoid of rigging

“I hereby call on our loyal members in all states of the federation to join us in the process of making PDP the only attractive party with input from the youths and women, most especially since we are now inclined to give more space to the youths and women in our new ideology and agenda,’’ Tukur was quoted as saying.

The PDP chief also disclosed that the party would soon “hold a summit for stakeholders including founders of the party who sacrificed so much for the continued existence of PDP.”

He said: “The National Working Committee (NWC) would engage all its governors in a brainstorming session with a view to re-shaping and consolidating on the PDP electoral fortunes, ahead of 2015.”

Others at the meeting included Chief Ademola Adepegba (Osun), Chief Remilekun Iyiola and Prof. Ishola Odelola.

In a statement, Metuh said the Tinubu saga “explains itself in clear terms. The ACN tried to force its dish of lies down the throat of Nigerians on the imaginary international exposure and connection of its national leader.  This attempt by the party to ingeniously tap from the credibility of an American political institution through a spurious claim backfired. The Democratic Party convention officials would have none of that and wasted no time in denying the ACN and Tinubu. The implication of this on the image of Nigeria and on the pride of our good people is wantonly damaging.

“The matter needs no further explanation if not for the ACN’s deliberate persistence on misinforming the nation. A statement from Tinubu’s office which the publicity secretary of the ACN repeated in his own statement stated that ‘Tinubu received a gold card which is prime... and ...  was invited to the Democratic convention as the leader of the opposition and an influential figure in Nigeria.

“Verily, no matter how hard the ACN tries to water down this statement to suit a latter day whims, even a child understands that it means a special invitation and recognition. This is the falsehood that the ACN sold to the Nigerian public about its leader, which unfortunately backfired; thus, necessitating a denial.

“However, this matter will become clearer if one ponders the following questions and their answers:

Did Bola Tinubu receive an invitation or did he buy it at $5,000? He bought it?

“Did the Democratic Party send him an invitation as the leader of the opposition in Nigeria? The answer is a resounding No, as nothing to that effect exists in the records of the Democratic convention.

“Was a gold card extended to him as claimed by the ACN? The answer again is No. Tinubu paid $5,000 to get a generic invitation ordinarily given to all contributors to the campaign.  It is this ordinary invitation that the merchants of lies in the ACN re-baptised as a gold card in its usual desperation to bolster its status,” Metuh said.