Late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua
DESPITE attempts by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pour cold
water on any activity connected to the 2015 general election, elements
within its fold are apparently going ahead to forge new alliances or
renew dormant ones towards having a head-start in the elections.
Some members of the PDP who were in the old Peoples Democratic
Movement (PDM), the political platform once headed by the late
Major-General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, are trying to revamp the group with a
view to properly positioning themselves ahead of the next elections.
The group was said to have utilised the opportunity provided by the
yearly memorial lecture for the late Tafidan Katsina last Wednesday at
the Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja to strategise towards 2015.
It claimed that the meeting was an opportunity for a reunion but many
of the members, most of who are PDP members who have one grouse or the
other about the ruling party, were thought to be scheming to strengthen
their own bargaining power or even be in a position to stand alone as a
party if it becomes necessary.
Among prominent politicians at the meeting were former chairman,
Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih; governor of
defunct Kaduna State, Alhaji Lawal Kaita and Ambassador Yahaya Kwande.
A National Steering Committee was raised comprising Honourable Bode
Ajewole; Mr Godie Ikechi; Senator Abubakar Mahdi, Murtala Shehu
Yar’Adua; Dr Etim Amba; Alhaji A. A. Matawallen Hadeija; Chief Ejiofor
Onyia; Honourable Dubem Onyia, Dame Titi Ajanaku; Alhaji Bashiru Yusuf
Ibrahim; Prince Tonye Princewill and Chief Olupounle Ebo.
The communique issued after the meeting, which emerged in Abuja on
Sunday, was silent on the political discussions as it merely spoke of it
as a reunion/rejuvenation meeting.
According to the communique signed by the secretary of the steering
committee, Mr Ikechi, the purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum
for the reunion of old members of the movement and also bring onboard
new members.
It said the meeting presented a road map for its immediate future
activities, among which is a proposed national summit on "The state of
the nation" scheduled to hold in the last quarter of 2012.
The communique stated that the movement resolved to rekindle among
its members the spirit of national unity, promotion of peace and good
governance.
It described the PDM as a national "consciousness movement",
pioneered by the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua for the promotion of core
ideals of democracy; sustenance of and support for peaceful co-existence
among the diverse groups in the country; bridge building among the
diverse segments of the country; promotion of good governance and
sustainable development of Nigeria.
The communique also revealed that goodwill messages were presented by
eminent members of the movement from all the geo-political zones, while
tributes were paid to the late Shehu Yar’Adua for "the supreme
sacrifice he made in furtherance of unity and democracy in Nigeria, as
well as other departed leaders of the movement."
It said the meeting was given a tour of the uncompleted bridge at the
lawn of Yar'Adua Centre "as a testimony to the work that must be done
to complete the hanging bridge by reuniting Nigeria and bringing
democracy and good governance back to the country."
Meanwhile, the PDP, on Sunday, defended Chief Anenih's presence at
the PDM's meeting, saying that he was there to re-emphasise the oneness
of the PDP as a political party.
According to the National Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh,
who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, "I have it on good authority that he
told them that we don't have division within the party."
He said the PDP would, this week, re-emphasise to its members the
need to steer clear of politics of 2015 at this time in line with the
position of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
In another development, the PDP has challenged the former
presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC),
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, to demonstrate more statesmanship in his
assessment of the ruling party and once again test his popularity in
2015 presidential election if he thinks he has alternative ideas to the
PDP.
PDP said said in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by Chief Metuh
that the defeated presidential candidate's lecture on democracy and
rule of law could not be taken seriously in view of the dehumanising
condition his military administration subjected Nigerians to in the
past.
According to the PDP, "we wish to advise General Buhari to
concentrate on giving Nigerians his alternative ideas and plan of action
to what the PDP has at present or even engage us in a public debate on
the values of good governance.
"We pray that his party or whatever alliance they are negotiating
presents Buhari once more as a presidential candidate so that Nigerians
will make their choice.
"However, we wish to remind the former head of state that Nigerians
are not fools and that they know what Nigeria was yesterday, especially
under regimes like his and what obtains today. There is no doubt that
even the blind can distinguish between the daylight it is today and the
deep dark night it was hitherto."
The PDP was apparently responding to a statement quoting
Major-General Buhari as saying in his assessment of the 14 years of the
PDP in power that “under normal circumstances, we are supposed to work
strictly within the provisions of the constitution, but this is Nigeria
and nothing is perfect and the only thing they have not tampered with
between 1999 to date in Nigeria is the Holy Koran.”
The PDP said political differences not withstanding, it expected
Buhari as an elder statesman and a former head of state to acknowledge
the significant progress that Nigeria had made in internalising
democratic culture since the return of democracy in 1999.
According to the PDP, “we are shocked that an elder statesman could
paint such an ugly picture, tissue of lies, of his dear nation just to
advance his political fortunes. We shudder that a former head of state
under whose watch freedom of expression landed many Nigerians in
detention on account of his obnoxious decrees, and who now enjoys such
freedom, is utterly ungrateful to the efforts of our great party in
advancing the cause of democracy."
Flaunting its democratic credentials, the PDP noted: "Today,
criticisms, even destructive ones are hurled at the PDP-led Federal
Government and no one is harassed because we uphold the inalienable
rights of the people which are at the heart of democracy. We throw our
doors open to criticism so that we accommodate alternative views.
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