…Says, “we are sorry”
By Samuel Ogidan
Less than 12 months to 2019 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday begged Nigerians to forgive them for their past mistakes.
Begging Nigerians on behalf of the party, PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said, “we are sorry. We have made several mistakes.”
Explaining what the party is begging for at “a public discourse on contemporary politics and governance in Nigeria,” organised by the PDP in Abuja, Secondus said that in the past, the party engaged in impunity and imposition among other issues.
“In the past there were impunity and imposition, we are not spirit, we have to be humble to apologize for imposition, impunity and other wrong doing. While in government, there was no nepotism, but today nepotism has been taken to the highest level by this government of APC.
“We have to stand before the people and apologize. We made mistakes. Unlike APC that will lie and use another lie to cover it, we will apologize to for our past mistakes. We are human that are bound to make mistakes. How long are we going to lie to our children?
“Since it is said that charity begins at home, I am the very first to admit that our party the Peoples Democratic Party of Nigeria made many mistakes. Consequently, we were roundly sanctioned by Nigerians occasioning our loss at the polls in 2015.
“Let me seize this opportunity to apologize to Nigerians unequivocally for the several shortcomings of our party in the near and far past. It was all part of an evolution process without which there can be no maturity.”
Secondus emphasised that under his watch there will not be imposition, adding that nobody would be allowed to influence the primaries that would lead to the emergence of presidential candidate for the party.
“Under our watch, there will be no imposition of candidates and no impunity. My colleagues and I at the National Working Committee have vowed to uphold the rule of law as enshrined in our party constitution.
“Power has been devolved to the zonal, state and ward levels. PDP national headquarters at Wadata House will only co-ordinate affairs. There are no votes to be solicited or won at Wadata House. We are committed to the Rule of Law and assure you that not only will your votes count in our primaries across the land, I assure you that your voice will be heard.”
The PDP Chairman said that the party will stand by the truth, adding that whatever happened in 2015, would not be allowed again, as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would not be able to rig elections.
Lamenting that APC government has recklessly devalued the naira, Secondus said,
“our currency has been recklessly devalued from N199 in 2015 to nearly N500 a dollar before it came down to about N365 only due to an increase in oil prices and not any significant thing done by this government. Fuel prices rose from N97 to N145 yet the nation experiences unabated scarcity with its attendant long queues and suffering by the Nigerian citizens.”
The National Chairman further lamented the borrowing spree of the APC administration, adding, “from friends and members of this government, we learnt that while in 16 years PDP government was able to borrow N6 trillion and had some projects commissioned for it, in just less than three years, APC regime has borrowed N11 trillion and has not commissioned a single project.”
While asking questions, former governor of Katsina and Anambra states, Ibrahim Sheme and Peter Obi respectively, told the leaders of the party to do something different from what the APC is doing, adding that Nigerians want to know what the party is bringing on board in 2019.
Chief Bode George in his remarks, congratulated members of the National Working Committee for the new agenda, adding that he’s a loyal party member.
“What I heard today rekindles my absolute loyalty. It was as if we took an overdose tablet. The world is watching us. You have talked the talk, let the people go and walk the talk,” he said.
Responding to George, Secondus disclosed that in few days PDP will come out with its economic blueprint, lamenting that what the party built in the past 16 years have collapsed under this present administration.
2019: PDP begs Nigerians for past mistakes
