A youth group in the main opposition party in Nigeria, the PDP National Youth Frontier, PDPNYF, has called for the leaders of the party to bring an end to impunity and “money politics” in the party.
In a press statement on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, the PDPNYF congratulated Ahmed Makarfi, the chairman of the national caretaker committee of the PDP and welcomed the opportunity before the party to reposition and reclaim power in 2019.
Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that Senator Makarfi, a former governor of Kaduna State was the authentic leader of the PDP closing the curtain on the challenge by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, a former governor of Borno and alleged sponsor of Boko Haram.
Below is the full press statement.
The PDP National Youth Frontier, PDPNYF congratulates His Excellency, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi and the Peoples’ Democratic Party over its victory and successful outcome of the series of legal tussles initiated and embarked on in the last 24 months.
The PDPNYF equally congratulates members of the interim NWC, the BoT and every member of the party – especially the various youth groups for keeping faith with the party in its most trying times when it became necessary to engage the forces of retrogression in a battle for the soul of the party.
The National Executive Committee of the PDPNYF notes that at this time, what is most important now is for structures to be put in place for genuine reconciliation to take place across board especially as it has been declared that there is neither a victor or vanquished in the party.
While genuine moves should be made to reconcile all groups and interests, there is need to also ensure that members who did not betray the ideals of the party in its difficult times are not side-lined in the new processes that will emerges.
The PDPNYF fully agrees with the NWC on the need for a national convention of the party to be convened immediately so a proper working structure can be created within the shortest possible time in the interest of advancement and progress. We therefore charge party leaders to ensure that loyalty, integrity and capacity are not sacrificed on the altar of reconciliation as steps must be taken to ensure that things are done properly this time.
In the spirit of fellowship, we must jointly make patriotic efforts to kill the twin evil of impunity and imposition of candidates at all levels starting from the forthcoming national convention which is in itself our first test of unity and readiness to be an ideal opposition. Only candidates who emerge through the most appropriate methods must be endorsed and recognized.
Conclusively, the PDPNYF observes that the PDP cannot be positioning itself as an acceptable alternative to the APC while harbouring corrupt elements in its midst and allowing them handle sensitive positions in the various organs of the party. We must quickly kill every trace of corruption in our midst before anything else.
The PDPNYF is grateful to God for seeing us through this period of turbulence. We are confident that with the current leadership agenda of the Sen. Makarfi led interim NWC, the PDP will rise to take its place as an ideal opposition party and the government in waiting.
