The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Walid Jibrin, on Tuesday in Abuja, dismissed alleged merger talks with the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and others.
The BoT chair of the main opposition party insisted that the party did not contact the former governor of Lagos State or any member of the APC with the hope of luring them to the PDP.
He said the camp of Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP was busy repositioning the party and had yet to contact anyone in the APC with the aim of luring them to defect to the main opposition party.
Jibrin said such reports suggesting alliance talks by the Makarfi camp with Tinubu and some disgruntled members of the APC emanated from those he described as mischief makers.
There were reports that apart from Tinubu, the PDP was also luring a former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar; Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Senator Aliyu Wamakko among others.
Jibrin in a statement said the PDP had never contemplated teaming up with Tinubu and the other APC members with the purpose of either forming a new political party or strengthening the PDP.
Jibrin said, “I salute Tinubu’s courage for coming out to speak frankly about his position regarding this unfounded rumour and for setting the record straight.
“In Tinubu’s own reaction denouncing the report, he condemned the PDP and I can’t understand why anybody would think that we are going to form a new party with somebody who is condemning us.
“The PDP is a golden name, a party formed by respectable and dignified Nigerians dead and alive, like Alex Ekwueme, Jerry Gana, Solomon Lar, Adamu Ciroma, Aminu Wali, Sule Lamido and many others.
“It is therefore ridiculous to think that anyone would abandon a well organised party like the PDP and join another party. There is nothing wrong with the PDP, except for some characters within the party.”
Jibrin said that the current crisis rocking the PDP was as a result of impunity and indiscipline among some of its members, but he added that the PDP would overcome the challenges sooner than expected.
The BoT chairman said that he was happy that issues arising from anarchy, self-centredness, self aggrandisement, poor leadership and indiscipline that he said had plagued the PDP were already being resolved.
He said, “We are ready to make corrections by doing away with impunity, indiscipline and pride among some people in our midst.”
Jibrin commended the efforts by the Senator Ike Ekweremadu committee and another committee led by Gana to find lasting solutions to the various conflicts within the PDP.
Jibrin said he had the confidence that many of those who left the PDP before and after the 2015 general elections as a result of ill-treatment would soon rejoin the party before the 2019 general elections.
He said, “We are ready to look into their cases whenever they decide to come back. We can never abandon the PDP for some people who have just joined us simply because they have the capacity to cause trouble.”
He also dismissed the reports suggesting that the PDP was planning to change its name.
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