As the Supreme Court prepares to deliver judgement on the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) national leadership tussle, the Governor of Bayelsa
State, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson has strongly advised leaders and
members of the PDP not to lose hope, but to remain in the party, assuring
that PDP will bounce back soon.
A statement signed by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media Relations,
Mr. Francis Agbo and made available to journalists in Yenagoa on Tuesday,
averred that, what the party needed at this juncture to play its role as a
leading opposition voice, was genuine reconciliation founded on
compromises and forgiveness.
Governor Dickson, who is the Chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation
Committee said, he was speaking out of concern, following the decampment
of PDP members to other parties, as well as reports of PDP leaders
floating alternative political platforms.
According to the Governor, if PDP leaders had accepted the Reconciliation
Template formulated by his committee, a unity national convention would
have held this month to elect its national leadership, and this he
believes, would have put to rest the leadership crisis rocking the party.
Instead, the Governor lamented that, some party leaders opted for the
court, which he stressed can only adjudicate and not reconcile feuding
parties.
Governor Dickson said, political leaders in Nigeria exert too much
pressure on the judiciary by failing to do things rightly, by failing to
build consensus as well as refusing to respect laid down rules of
politics. He therefore, advised political leaders to stop relying on the
judiciary to resolve what is essentially an internal party affair,
stressing that, internal disputes can best be resolved through a political
solution!
The Governor said, the failure of the PDP leaders to unite, especially
after the loss of federal power, has weakened the party across the
country, especially in states like Edo, Ondo, Benue, Lagos and others
where governorship/local government elections had held and are about to
hold.
The Governor noted that, his committee has not relented on reconciliation
and confidence building in the party, irrespective of the lingering
litigation and promised to address PDP faithful after the Supreme Court
judgement!