By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State, Alhaji Usman Mahdi Badairi, has affirmed his resolve to woo President Muhammadu Buhari, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and other estranged members to the umbrella party.
Badairi made the disclosure in Abuja after taking his oath of office at the party’s national secretariat on Tuesday.
The chairman said that after series of meetings with the Bukola Saraki-led committee on Reconciliation and Strategy, members of the party resolved to work together and unseat the government of Prof. Babagana Zulum.
According to him, all aggrieved factions in the party have reconciled and will work together to ensure that PDP gets into the Borno State Government House.
He said, “I thank the chairman of my National Reconciliation Committee, Sen. Bukola Saraki, because he called us for a meeting last two weeks, we sat together, we discussed and we have all resolved to work together. There is no faction of PDP in Borno state now.
“Immediately when I went to Borno state, both Southern-Borno and Nothern-Borno and Borno-Central, I went back to the state and made beautiful reconciliation among members. As from today, there is no faction of PDP in Borno state, we are all working for PDP now, no Usman faction, no Zanda Gaman faction. We are only working for PDP now in Borno state.
“So I am advising each and everyone of us here especially the social media, please and please if you are posting anything please post it only on PDP in order to bring our people together. Now we are going to do our possible best to invite other parties to come and join us in order to win election in 2023”.
Badairi said that there are a lot misdemeanor in the administration of the Borno state governor, Babagana Zulum, that makes him unfit to the elected for a second term.
“Insha Allah with the cooperation of our party in Borno State, with the cooperation of the members of the public in Borno state, PDP will win Borno state.
“Now people are saying Zulum, Zulum he is nothing, he chased a lot of people from work. 70% of local government workers, he sent them away, they are not getting their salaries, even the staff are not getting their salaries.
“In the IDP camps, people are suffering, so we will reveal a lot of things, people will hear a lot of things about the government of Borno state,” he said.
He added that he will go the extra mile and woo former PDP interim chairman, Senator Sheriff, President Muhammadu Buhari and even Senator Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu all those willing to join the party from the opposition parties.
He said, “We are willing to go to any PDP member who is willing to join us, whether Ali Modu Sheriff or Buhari or anybody in Nigeria who is willing to join us.
“Even Buhari will come and join the PDP. Even Bola Ahmed Tinubu, let him come and join us in the PDP.
“We are calling on every one of the APC members, let them come and join us. We are ready to work with everybody”.
In his address, National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, who was represented by the Deputy National Chairman North, Sen. Suleiman Naziff, urged members of the party from Borno state to learn from their misfortune in 2019 and work together for the interest of PDP.
He told them that the state benefited a lot from PDP even when they were in opposition and will stand to gain more if they deliver a block vote to PDP in 2023.
The National publicity Secretary of the party, Col. Austin Akobundu said that the swearing in ceremony was possible following a supreme Court order that affirmed Usman Mahdi Badairi and other national executives as dully elected.
The event was attended by former governor of Kano state Rabiu Musa Keankwaso, members of the party’s Board of Trustee (BoT) and other stake holders.
