PDP crisis: What Jonathan should do, by Atiku

Atiku

By Lekan Bilesanmi

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar wants President Goodluck Jonathan to raise a non-partisan committee with “authority and autonomy to devise appropriate strategy to resolve the on-going turmoil once and for all, and rescue the PDP from extinction.”

Atiku, in a statement, yesterday, added: “If the special committee established by the President to address the current crisis does not include representatives from the PDP various factions as well as the founding fathers, it will fail to create a sustainable solution.”

He spoke in response to the committee set up by Jonathan to resolve the crisis in the ruling party.

“As one of the founding fathers of the PDP, I cannot afford to be indifferent to these regretful developments within my party. The escalation of sectarian and tribal threats over the up-coming election is embarrassing and has only diverted the focus of the PDP from the welfare of the Nigerian people.

At the outset our idea was to establish a party committed to democratic values that were greater than the individual and accountable to the people. Any deviation from the PDP’s founding principles will result in the party losing domestic and international credibility as the guardian of democracy in Nigeria,” the erstwhile VP stated.

He continued: “The task of rebuilding the PDP is urgent and we cannot afford to stand akimbo while the democratic foundation of the ruling party is disintegrating. Any group or persons charged with the responsibility to rescue the PDP should be able to freely and objectively explore all options to resolve the crisis without the imposition of a single individual.

If the President’s committee does not seek to include the voices of the founding fathers and other independent-minded members of the party, it will be unable to maintain the impartiality required to address the considerable task before them.

“Most Nigerians perceive the PDP as a party that does not respect the provision of its own constitution. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is currently investigating the PDP leadership for failure to abide by the provisions of the PDP constitution.

The INEC claims that the PDP failed to hold free and transparent elections when selecting members of the National Working Committee. Worse still, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party has not been meeting as required by the PDP Constitution. Whim and caprice has replaced the governing laws of the PDP Constitution.

‘Ekwueme, Nwachukwu’s sacrifice’

“Dr. Ekwueme and Gen. Nwachukwu have done a good job of restoring the PDP to its original democratic glory. Ekwueme and Nwachukwu’s committee members sacrificed their time and energy to help the party with constructive and viable solutions that can help the party move forward.

It is curious to many of us why the party leadership lacks the moral courage to implement those recommendations. Can impunity and imposition ultimately replace the will of the people? In the words of George Washington, one of America’s founding fathers, “No man is good enough to govern another without his consent”.

“There has to be a better way. As a stakeholder and a founding member of the PDP I call on other PDP elders to join hands in pulling the party out of this needless crisis. It is time that we restore the sanctity of the PDP Constitution and remind one another and all of Nigeria as to what the PDP stands for – democracy and a better future for the Nigerian people. I call on President Jonathan to concentrate his energies and time on governing the country, where turmoil abounds, and remove himself from any direct affiliation with the resolution to the crisis.

“The President has no business setting up any committee on party matters when his interests are widely believed to be central to the ongoing acrimony within the party. It is therefore imperative that we establish an independent committee comprised of founding members of the PDP, independent-minded party members,and representatives of the various factions to create a lasting solution to the crises at hand. This task is urgent and the party can ill afford to play the ostrich in the face of political challenges from the opposition parties.

‘Saving PDP from disintegration’

“We have a duty to save the PDP from disintegration while preserving its democratic principals and its vision for a better Nigeria. A house divided cannot stand. These threats are real and we need a more credible committee to do the job than a committee that is subservient and driven by a narrow agenda.”