Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has upped the ante in seeking the support of former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and speakers of the Houses of Assembly.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement, yesterday, that Babangida tasked the PDP to provide a better alternative for Nigerians in 2019.
Babangida stated this, at the weekend, when he received members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Minna, capital of Niger State.
The former president also expressed satisfaction with the efforts of PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and the party’s NWC; to rebrand the opposition party ahead of the next general elections.
“I am happy at your assurances that there will be no imposition in all your primary elections. It is all about choice and you have promised to provide the best choice. Your ‘Reposition, Rebrand and Regain’ agenda is working and I mean particularly the rebranding. Some people believed that having been in government since 1999, the PDP will find opposition difficult but you are carrying on well and providing a better alternative.
“You have also not abandoned the people in times of crisis. I monitored your activities in Benue, Taraba and you just said your party has sent members to Zamfara, to commiserate with the people. Surely you have made the people the centre of your return and they will not forget you because you were with them in time of sorrow,” Babangida reportedly said.
Ologbondiyan noted that Secondus told Babangida that former leaders of the country must rally together to save the nation from the present administration.
The PDP chairman said:“As a leader, you made the welfare of Nigerians the thrust of governance. You were also concerned about the peace and unity of this nation. You created and built people as well as institutions.
“Today, our nation is drifting and as leaders, you cannot afford to keep quiet and watch on the sides. Leaders like you must come together and take a firm position on how to save our nation from the precipice. PDP remains the only alternative platform based on our experience more so because we have learnt our lessons. We have resolved to play by the rules and operate within the confines of our party’s and the Nigerian constitution.
In a related development, Secondus said the opposition party is gearing up to return to Aso Rock next year.
A statement by Secondus Special Assistant on Media, Ike Abonyi, stated that the PDP chairman in Abuja, during a meeting with Speakers of State Houses of Assembly controlled by the party, at the weekend, in Abuja.
“What would come out of the re-engineering going in our party would make it a formidable opposition ready and determined to regain power in 2019.
“We have been going round the country since we assumed office and we are glad to report that many Nigerians out there are anxiously waiting for the PDP to return to power,”he stated.