PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh
Party’s convention will not hold in August, says Jibril *LP scribe canvasses unity govt
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed concern over what it described as apparent lack of any clear-national policy thrust by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed concern over what it described as apparent lack of any clear-national policy thrust by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
PDP’s worry came just as the National Secretary of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Kayode Ajulo, at the weekend urged President Buhari and APC to emulate United States President Abraham Lincoln in forming a new government that would act as a uniting force to stir the country out of the current insecurity and economic malaise.
PDP said the inability of the Buhari administration to specifically point to the direction it is going is affecting the economy of the country.
Speaking on the telephone with THISDAY in Abuja on Sunday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, expressed the view that the situation is stalling government activities.
“Our worry as the major opposition party in this country is that we have not seen the policy thrust of this government because we want to be able to provide alternative options to their policies and programmes, but for a while, we have not seen any policy or programmes of the Buhari administration.
“So we want him to come up with some policy and programmes to enable us assess his government properly,” he said.
On the insinuation that the PDP is holding on the position of the Deputy Senate President because of its desperation to remain in power at all costs, Metuh said the party was not in any way interested in sharing power with the APC.
“We are a party in opposition, and we are not looking for any role in this government. It is entirely an APC government as the failure or success of the government depends squarely on the APC members, but when it comes to the legislature, it is a different arm of government and reserves the right to do things their own way,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibril, has denied reports that the national convention of the party will hold in August.
Jibril in a statement made available to THISDAY in Kaduna, explained that at no time did he say the party’s convention would hold in August.
“What I said after our last BoT meeting are as follows: the BoT at its meeting held May 25, 2015, elected Dr. Mohammed Bello as acting chairman for three months after which it will meet to elect its substantive chairman.
“Similarly the party agreed that Uche Secondus, the current acting National Chairman, should equally act for three months to give way for the emergence of a new National Chairman from the North-east zone in compliance with established tradition and constitutional provision,” he explained.
According to him, the current NWC, state, local government and ward chapters of the party have a tenure which will expire in March 2016, adding that the emergence of the BoT chairman and the national chairman after three months will prepare for a meeting of the party’s caucus, BoT, NEC and convention to elect officials.
“There is no way a convention can hold in August because there is need to arrange proper congresses before national convention. Besides, the postmortem committee which I am the secretary has not completed its assignment,” Jibril explained.
He further denied speculations that members of the BoT were given N35 million for the last presidential campaign and challenged anyone who gave such money to come out and say so, declaring that “members of the BoT have their honour and integrity to preserve and therefore the BoT has the right to take any drastic measures on this blackmail.”
The statement added that in order to come up with formidable structuring that will allow the PDP to regain power in 2019, members must remain calm.
“I want to emphasise that going against the provision of our party constitution on already established tenure at all party levels will be an invitation to uncontrolled litigations.
“The resignation of Alhaji Adamu Muazu and Chief Tony Anenih were done on personal grounds and our party constitution takes care of it,” the statement cautioned.
The statement declared that the BoT fully supports the emergence of present leadership of the National Assembly, noting that the appointments were good omen for democracy and called on those concerned to cooperate in order to forge ahead.
However, the National Secretary of LP, Ajulo, has admonished President Buhari and APC to emulate Abraham Lincoln in forming a new government.
He charged Buhari to emulate the example of the Lincoln-led administration in the aftermath of the American civil war.
Ajulo said the much venerated American leader followed up on his talk with the walk, drafting erstwhile opponents into key positions for the good of the nation.
“We call on President Buhari to emulate the example laid by that icon of statesmanship and democratic governance- Lincoln. History has it that when the war ended, Lincoln had a meeting with all the stakeholders and promised to constitute a unity government.
“President Buhari has, in his inaugural address and subsequent speeches, stressed that the job of rebuilding Nigeria is not his alone.
“We call him to walk the talk by inviting all leaders of the four major political parties which have members who were elected into offices for consultations and cooperation on how to navigate the stormy waters in which the nation is presently anchored.
“Also, the turnout of events leading to the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara is a clear indication that APC cannot do it all alone,” the LP scribe stated.
Ajulo also insisted that the president must also steer clear of all attempts being made by certain power blocs within the APC to ‘tele-guide’ his choices and decisions as regards policies that would affect the millions of Nigerians under his watch.
Ajulo also insisted that the president must also steer clear of all attempts being made by certain power blocs within the APC to ‘tele-guide’ his choices and decisions as regards policies that would affect the millions of Nigerians under his watch.
“Nigerians oppose any and every attempt by any cabal to hijack for themselves, the president of over 170 million Nigerians. We will not accept it. Nobody should be seen to be giving the president orders in secret,” he added.
Faulting the party’s inclination to embrace the ‘winner takes all’ position, he pointed out that such tendency was the underlying cause of the party’s woes.
Ajulo lamented that: “It is very strange and un-statesmanlike that up till now, the APC is yet to reach out to the leadership of other political parties who participated in the electoral process. One would have thought that in the spirit of good sportsmanship, the party would have initiated meetings with other stakeholders in other parties to commence the great work of rebuilding Nigeria.
“It is a common proverb in the South-western part of the country that ‘one tree cannot make a forest’. We are beginning to think that the APC-led government is attempting the impossible and trying to single-handedly be the forest. It won’t work.”
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