Senator Wali Jibrin, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says he is ready to sacrifice the remaining six months of the tenure, if that will bring the much needed peace into the party.
He has spent about three and half tears as the BoT chairman and according to him, he is eager to finish and leave, but that, what is paramount now is the resolution of the crisis.
Expressing confidence that PDP would win the 2023 presidential election, he assured that the rift, which he regarded as mere quarrels, would be resolved by next week, when all the party organs must have meet to consider the issues and come out with verdict that will make the party stronger.
Jibrin, who spoke on Channels Television program, Sunday Politics, monitored by metrobusinessnews.com was reacting to the lingering crisis in the party following its presidential primary election which saw Abubakar Atiku emerging as the flagbearer, a development that has created bad blood between him and Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, who felt short changed.
Although the BoT Chairman was not forthcoming on the party’s acceeding to some of the demands by the Wike camp, like the immediate resignation of the National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu, to pave way for justice, fairness and equity, he insisted that the various organs of the party would meet and resolve the issue by next week.
He listed the organs of the party to include the caucus, BoT, NEC, where the issues will be thoroughly discussed and resolved before they will be tabled at the convention.
He also acknowledged that principal positions like presidential candidate, national chairmen, BoT Chairman are from a section of the country, adding that, it is not fair.
However, he said the complaints had not been formally reported to the party, but that as it is now, the issue and others causing disaffection would be identified and resolved.
According to him, it will be unfair for the Party to have both its president and the national Chairman, BoT Chairman from the northern region of the country, an indication that, Iyorcha may go only after the election and Atiku eventually wins.
The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and the national chairman, Ayu, like himself, are from the country’s northern region, a development Jibrin said is not ideal.
“To tell the truth, it will not be fair for the president of Nigeria to be from the north, the chairman of the party from the north, and the BoT chairman from the north,” he noted during the show.
“By next week, we will get the report. And when we find out that somebody is wrong in what has happened we will come up openly to tell the party that it is wrong. Whatever we can do, we will do it in the interest of the party to make the party remain as PDP.”
The former vice president won in the keenly-contested poll to clinch the ticket, a feat that kickstarted another round of crisis in the party.
While Wike in the wake of the election claimed he was cheated and accused the PDP of bypassing its laws in the poll, the Rivers leader was recommended, among others, as running mate for Atiku.
But the former vice president instead picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa State, explaining that the move was because the Delta State governor meets “all or most of the qualities” he desires.
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Following the comment, Wike accused Atiku of telling “many lies”. Efforts to reconcile the duo are yet to yield the desired results.
Two Committees from the two camps have been set up, from where decisions would be made for ratification the necessary organs and the part as a whole.