By Please Return PDP To Aso Rock In 2019- Makarfi Begs Atiku
The National Caretaker of the People’s Democratic Party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi on Tuesday urged former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to return the party to power in the coming general elections.
Makarfi made the plea on Tuesday when Atiku visited the party’s National Secretariat with his entourage. The visit was his first since he returned to the party after resigning from the All Progressives Congress on Sunday.
Atiku had in January 2014 dumped the PDP, the platform which he was Vice President a decade ago to help form the APC. He left the PDP with many other big wigs. Just a week ago, the Waziri Adamawa also announced his exit from the ruling party, which he was among the founding top politicians.
In a live broadcast on Sunday, At Atiku announced his return to the party saying, it was the only Political Party in the country. He also revealed that he has contacted other aggrieved big wigs who left the party in 2014 to return just like him.
He said, “What I have come to do today is to come and show my face. Many people have read in the media that I have returned home; this is home.
“Mr. Chairman, I want to congratulate you for a wonderful work which you have been doing to redeem the image of this party, to return it, rebrand it and return it to its original form.
“I want to assure you of my support and cooperation at all times; to make sure that these objectives are achieved by you and subsequently by your successors.
“We should remember that those of us, who founded this party, founded it on the principles of democracy, good governance, unity of this country and the prosperity of its people.
“Over the years, like any or every human organisation, it has faced its challenges but I want to pay tribute to those who have stayed steadfast through thick and thin to see us through to this point.
“Now that we have learnt our lessons, I hope that we will be guided by the lessons we have learnt.”
Atiku added, “And that is to make sure that we build an all-inclusive party, where every part of this country will have a sense of belonging and sense of participation.
“To achieve all these, there must be sacrifices, understanding and compromises in the process of achieving that. And that is what I speak to members to imbibe.
“But as you know, one thing that I will never compromise is the internal democratic process in a given political party. And I hope we all must have learnt our lesson.
“I therefore want to pledge to you, Mr. Chairman and members of the National Working Committee that my returning home is to help continue with the work you have started, reforming, re-branding this very party which is the only party in this country.
“Let me pay tribute to the past leadership of this great party wherever they may be and to call upon them to please return home as I have done.
“It is only by their returning home that we will build a stronger, more united party that can, again, return to government and continue to deliver the dividends of democracy.”
Atiku told the cheery crowd that the PDP government remained the best in the history of the country since 1999.
The ex-VP argued that it would be difficult for any government to achieve 50 per cent of what the PDP achieved.
“I can bet you, the records we have achieved so far in governance, no government has yet even done 50 per cent of what we have achieved in government, not to talk of equalling our performance in government,” he added.
In his response, Makarfi alleged that there were people bent on destroying the party.
However, he said he was grateful that the party had been winning in courts against those who “are hell-bent on destabilising this party and holding this party down.”
Makarfi, who was flanked by other members of the caretaker committee, said, “We went through guerrilla warfare, artillery attacks, bombardment, but we weathered the storm. And the story will be a positive one at the end of the day.
“Your Excellency, you have opened the floodgates and we expect many more high profile returnees and new entrants into the PDP.
“So, PDP must be prepared for this, and be ready to reconcile and reiterate in such a way and manner that everybody will be treated and given a level playing field to pursue their personal aspiration. That is what the PDP must stand for if it has to survive.”
He added that the former Vice President should help in returning the now opposition party to power in the next general election. The PDP is set to hold it’s National Covention on Saturday in Abuja.
