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From Ismail Omipidan, Abuja
Former Jigawa State Governor Alhaji Sule Lamido is leading new efforts to save the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from imminent collapse.
The ex-governor declared that, regardless of any court verdict, only a political solution could revive the ailing PDP.
The fresh move, Daily Sun gathered, is coming after a similar effort by former Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki.
Daily Sun has learnt that the desire to see how the party can resolve the crises that have held it down since its scandalous loss to the then opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), in 2015, led Lamido to a meeting with former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, at his Kaduna residence recently.
When contacted, Lamido confirmed meeting with Makarfi and added that there was an urgent need for party leaders to come together to salvage the situation. He also confirmed that he would be meeting other notable stalwarts of the party, including Saraki, on the way forward.
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He counselled that the PDP leaders should not wait for any court verdict before swinging into action, insisting that the party is an institution that is beyond any leader’s “ego and pride.”
Lamido said further that, “it is true I met with His Excellency, Makarfi. And the mission is simply to save our party, the PDP. We need to call a meeting before the court delivers judgment to calm frayed nerves. We must meet with our governors, BoT chairman and members and other stakeholders.
“Those abusing themselves must sheath their swords. PDP is an institution that is beyond the pride and ego of any of us the leaders. Our governors must stop abusing themselves. They must not reduce the crisis to personal attacks, while the party and its members continue to suffer. At this stage, we need a political solution. We must appeal to Wike, Bala Mohammed, Makinde, Fintiri and everyone that feel aggrieved, so that before the court verdict comes, we would have moved on,” Lamido added.
Daily Sun recalls that Lamido’s position is not different from the path toed by Saraki long before the Ibadan PDP convention and even after the convention. For instance, from the beginning, Saraki had advised that PDP leaders should manage their affairs such that they would not need to resort to court because he had envisaged that going to court would retard the progress and unity of the party.
The former Senate President also urged them to avoid factionalisation, saying that breaking into factions would see the party playing into the hands of the enemy. He further advised that the leaders should manage the party to get to the national convention, where they could fix all the issues, review the constitution and chart the way forward. But no one listened, as the leaders pushed the matter until there were resultant court cases and factions.
And with the litigations, Saraki had equally advised that the best move was to stop the convention and set up a caretaker committee that would be used to resolve all the issues and reconcile the various factions and groups. Unfortunately, however, the feuding parties refused to listen, and they went ahead to hold a convention that has now become an exercise in futility.
