Founding fathers of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were absent at the party’s National Conference, which held in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Conspicuously absent were former Vice president Alex Ekwueme, former military president Ibrahim Babangida, former Senate Presidents Ken Nnamani, Pius Anyim and David Mark as well as Adamu Corona.
Former President, Goodluck Jonathan also boycotted the parley, which has as its theme: “PDP and the Sustenance of Democratic Ideals in Nigeria.”
Deputy President of the Senate, Ike kweremadu, speaking at the occasion said there was urgent need to set up “Shadow Cabinet” to benchmark the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government on its campaign promises.
He said PDP must not be deterred in holding the APC-led government accountable, adding that the ruling party must always be put at the mercy of the truth.
“That is the job of the opposition: to confront errors with the truth; to stand up for what is right; to offer constructive criticisms of the follies and errors of the ruling party and to proffer better ideas for moving the nation forward.
“We need to urgently set up Shadow Cabinet to benchmark the APCled Federal Government on its promises.
It is the greatest service we can offer to Nigeria and her democracy at this time. That is our task. Citizens and indeed posterity will not be kind to us if we fail in these laudable goals,” Ekweremadu said The deputy senate president also called on the media and Civil Society Organisations to partner the PDP in this regard in the interest of Nigeria.
He listed some of the promises made by the APC to include scaling up the exchange rate of the Naira to one US Dollar and bringing back the Chibok girls in three months.
Others he said, include the promise to pay N5, 000 to 25 million unemployed youths and provision of free meals to school children.
Ekweremadu noted that in spite of these promises, inflation and unemployment were rising “with the construction industry lying off tens of thousands of workers.’’
He described the theme of the conference as “clarion awakening” to the PDP’s role as the main opposition party, with the responsibility of ensuring the sustenance and furtherance of democratic gains of the last 16 years.
Commenting on the judgments of the election petitions tribunal, Ekweremadu said, “it does appear that to be a PDP governor, especially in an oil rich state is to be endangered political specie.
He said that the judiciary must not only do justice, it must be seen to be just. Ekweremadu, who described the senate as one institution with the responsibility to serve Nigeria, said both PDP and APC legislators would continue to support the senate president in the discharge of his duties. In his remark, Minority Leader of the Senate, Sen. Godwill Akpabio, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to engage PDP in the governance of the country.
He pledged that PDP senators would not fail the party and Nigerians in performing their duties at the National Assembly. Leo Ogor, Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, described the withdrawal of money from the nation’s Treasury Single Account to a company as commission as `unconstitutional.
’ “The constitution under the provision of section 80 sub 4 stipulated that no funds shall be withdrawn from the consolidated account or any public account except in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly. “That makes the National Assembly the custodian of the people resources,” Ogor said.
He said lawmakers would identify the people behind the withdrawal and recover the money. A communiqué issued at the end of the conference and signed by National Secretary Prof. Adewale Oladipo noted that PDP remains the only credible national political institution, committed to national interest and the deepening of democratic tenets and ideals in Nigeria.
It however resolved that the party, at all levels shall continue to ensure credible, robust and issue-based opposition, while promoting harmonious relationship among all people and ensuring that citizens’ confidence in democracy does not wane.
It rejected the alleged, “manipulation of the judiciary and security forces by the APC-led Federal Government in its desperate bid to subvert the sovereign will of the people and forcefully take over states genuinely won by the PDP in the last general elections and ultimately impose a oneparty state in Nigeria.”
It also charged the new INEC leadership to assert the independence of the electoral body, resist all external influences and ensure free, fair and credible electoral process in Kogi and Bayelsa states and other future elections, as the PDP will NOT ACCEPT any results that do not reflect the true wishes and aspirations of the people, particularly in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
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