The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party will not sit idle and watch its members defect enmass to the All Progressives Congress which is on the verge of claiming the majority slot in the National Assembly.
According to the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the party is not just worried about the new twist in the political calculations but also concerned that it could affect the electoral fortunes of the party in the coming elections if not halted.
He said the leadership of the party has therefore resolved to vigorously pursue its reconciliation efforts between the party and aggrieved members.
Tukur, who spoke at a no-barred-hold session with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, said fresh strategies are to be adopted to accommodate views of members and ensure that all possible democratic processes are exhausted in getting the members back to the fold.
Asked if the mass defection of key party members to the APC was indicative of the failure of the half-hearted reconciliatory efforts under his leadership, Tukur explained that it was obvious that some party members were simply adamant and appeared unresponsive to the redeeming change he had planned to introduce as a leader.
Aside the five governors who recently defected to the APC, 37 members of the party in the House of Representatives also crossed over to the APC on Wednesday while 22 others in the Senate have also signified their readiness to dump the PDP.
Tukur said the leadership is not unmindful of the fact that the gale of defections may turn the ruling party into a minority voice in the legislative chambers.
He said the party would prevail on the aggrieved members not to follow the multitude to do anything against their conscience, adding that the PDP remains the preferred party of most Nigerians in spite of the crisis.
He urged members of the party to place patriotism above selfish reasons in whatever they do, explaining that the present crisis within the party was based on his decision to fully democratize the party machineries.
He said: “”I am worried by the development. I am persuading them not to defect. Have they tested what is on ground? Did they consult with their people who elected them and got their consent? We are going to get in touch with them and reignite the reconciliation efforts.”
Source: The Nation
