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By Oscar Okhifo, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday made a passionate appeal to the South East chapter of the party not to carry out its threat of leaving the platform.
Recall that last Wednesday, after the South-East party’s stakeholders meeting in Enugu city, the caucus of the party supporting Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the PDP National Secretary threatened to dump the party if their demand to recognize nominee as the Party’s National Secretary was not met.
The Acting National Chairman of PDP, Amb. Umar Damagum, represented by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja received the resolution of the South-East at the party national Secretariat on Tuesday.
Receiving their resolution, Damagum appealed to the caucus not to dump the party, but work towards amicable resolution of the issues on the table , especially as regards the position of the National Secretary of the party.
He promised that the issue will be looked into, assuring that justice will be done.
He added that members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP will look into the issues raised in the report and forward same to the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled to hold next week in Abuja.
Arapaja said: “There is something I read somewhere, but I will ask that you reconsider your position to leave the party. You didn’t mention it here but I think everybody already read it. Well, I know you are not happy with the situation, and it’s inevitable in any political party, as big as this. It’s a natural political practice.
” It is good that we are always able to speak, to express our opinions.
“I know you (South East caucus of the PDP) are not happy and I understand why you are not happy, but even as you are angry out there, we can find a solution. We are a family. It’s like a landlord running out of his own house, because the house is leaking. Let’s fix the house together.” He appealed.
Speaking further, Arapaja, reassured the delegation that the challenge was not bigger than the party to solve.
“So, we’ll do our best to fix the problem, and I know we can do it, together . There is a solution.
“This is the only party that belongs to the people. Yes, it doesn’t belong to anybody. It’s the only party where you can feel peaceful, you can express your opinion, and you can be listened to. It’s just like that in any family.
“So, I want to appeal for patience. We can resolve it. And I know we will resolve it. And I know, and I am quite sure, that PDP will overcome. As I said, the resolution will be thoroughly discussed. We’ll do our best and as you know, NEC has the final say.
“We will look at it, we will do justice to it, we will do our best.”
Earlier, the leader of the South East caucus of the PDP and Senate Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu told the NWC members that the South East caucus, at a recent meeting of the South East Executive Committee unanimously agreed and nominated the former National Youth Leader of the party, Honorable Ude-Okoye, to be its nominee for the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.
He said: “Mr. Chairman, from our communique, which is in this report that I am going to hand over to you, and in the meeting that was recently held by the South East Executive Committee of the party at the Zonal Office, we unanimously agreed and nominated the former youth leader of the party, Rt. Honorable S.K. Ude-Okoye, to be our nominee for the position of the National Secretary of our great party, the PDP.
“Mr. Chairman, we are going to give you this report, and our prayers and our urge and our appeal is that this party should carefully look through even other precedents that have been set in replacement of National Working Committee members or other officers of the committee of the PDP that has been done.
“We are not trying to set a precedent. We are not trying to do a new thing because precedent has been set already.
“We are asking you to look at a zone which has been the backdrop and backbone of the PDP, a zone which has delivered all the National Assembly members, all governors to the PDP in the past, a zone which is eager to redeem its past glory.
“We are praying that the request of this zone should not be jeopardized. Let us look at it based on the point of its merits.
“We are not here to make another request, but we are speaking to our consciences so that whatever decision that is taken at the end should be for the interest of the party and a position that is going to support us, a position that is going to lift the morale of the members of this great party towards a sustainable growth and a path of recovery.”