From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Incoming National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, has said the journey ahead of the opposition party would be turbulent and rough.
He stated this at a valedictory session for outgoing PDP National Working Committee (NWC), yesterday, in Abuja.
Ayu, who was elected on October 30, at the party’s national convention, is scheduled to assume office tomorrow.
While commending the outgoing NWC members for their contributions to the growth of the PDP in the last four years, he said leaders of the opposition party must work as a team to make progress.
“The journey ahead is going to be turbulent and rough. Many people have attributed to me all sorts of capabilities. I’m sorry, I am not Jesus Christ, neither am I Prophet Mohammed, I am only a team leader who believes firmly that to run a big political party of this nature, you must work with everybody.
“We must work as a team. There will be no divisions, we will not allow any divisions. And that will extend to all other members of the party, we intend to run an inclusive administration. And that will include all members of the current working committee that is about to hand over to us.
“It will extend to broadening the frontiers of administration to include every party leader in every state. And I believe, together, we will succeed. And if we succeed, I have succeeded. I thank you for the work you have done for organising this particular valedictory session.
“I think this valedictory session should have been actually an expanded NEC meeting and everybody should have been here to listen to the statements you have made. But I think we have learned from you. I will try to ensure everybody’s on board,” Ayu said.
Minority Leader of House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, said the PDP has reinvented itself in the last four years as a pedestal of hope for our nation.
“Indeed, I have no doubt in my mind, that with the structures already laid by the outgoing NWC and the calibre of individuals in the incoming NWC, our party is set for the task ahead.
“In spite of the many threats, harassment and intimidations from the All Progressives Congress (APC), one can attest to how the PDP, under the outgoing NWC courageously rose to the occasion in presenting a forceful opposition and exposing the incompetence, lies, corruption and horrific atrocities of the APC while showing our party as the viable option for the nation.
“The courage and commitment exhibited by our leaders contributed in reigniting the passion in Nigerians to join forces with our party in their collective resolve to rescue our nation from the misrule of the APC,” he said.
Meanwhile, the party has said it never collected money from Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to field him as its candidate for the 2020 governorship poll in the state.
The outgoing National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated this, charged the incoming leadership to invite Obaseki to confirm if the outgoing NWC collected money from him in lieu of the party’s governorship ticket.
He said it was also imperative for the Edo State governor to speak out on the processes that led to his nomination.
“Let me state without mincing words that the Governor Obaseki owes NWC members the responsibility of clearing our names before the public.
“I will like to place on record that this NWC did not demand any form of gratification from Obaseki before he got the ticket of our party.
“It is also important to restate that this NWC did not demand any form of ‘tax’ from Governor Obaseki neither did we collect same. He, therefore, owes it a duty to clear our names.”