From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Former ministers who served in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government declared, yesterday that the party will defeat President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general election.
The former ministers, under the aegis of PDP Former Ministers Forum, stated this after a meeting in Abuja, yesterday.
Former minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki, who also chairs the forum, told newsmen that the opposition party is not interested in tackling another candidate but president Buhari.
They believe that, with Buhari on the ballot in 2019, they stand a better chance of getting back into power.
“We are not unaware of the point president Buhari made when (late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua) was sick. For us as former ministers, we wish him speedy recovery.
“We want him to come back and continue the job for which he persistently fought to be elected and for which he was elected.
“We want him to come and continue because we want to defeat president Buhari in the 2019 election and not anybody else,” stated Turaki.
Speaking on alleged plans by some of them to dump the PDP, Turaki said they will remain with the party, irrespective of the outcome of a suit at the Supreme Court, with respect to party ‘s leadership tussle.
He stated that various organs of the party have agreed that no matter where the pendulum of justice swings, they will all remain committed to the ideals and visions of the PDP.
Turaki noted that rather than dump the party, the former ministers would join other organs of the party in rebuilding the PDP, ahead of the 2019 general election.
The former minister equally expressed optimism that the judgment of the apex court, on the leadership crisis, which has crippled the PDP, will reunite various interest groups in the party.
In a communique issued by the forum, which was also signed by the former Special Duties mminister, the ex-minister frowned at the spate of insecurity in the country, especially rising cases of kidnapping, armed robbery and the menace of rampaging herdsmen across the nation.
The party blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for religious and ethnic tension in the country, stating that it is a fall out of the inept leadership of the ruling party.
The forum also called on the APC administration to be alive to its responsibilities to the citizens and condemned the raid of former Vice President, Namadi Sambo’s residence by security agents.
“The forum also notes that as a result of the inept leadership of the APC-led Federal Government in Nigeria, Nigerians have never been so polarised along regional, tribal, ethnic religious and other divides and we feel that this is really most unfortunate,” the communique added.