Says PDP must be ready to correct its mistakes
More prominent Nigerians, past public servants, elder statesmen and leaders of various influential groups among others have continued to flay the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly being inept and ill equipped for governance.
Besides, the government has been accused of acting contrary to its manifesto of change agenda and the contract, it promised Nigerians.
Among them, a former Finance Minister, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, who yesterday lamented over what he called the failure of the APC, despite its loud and orchestrated promises during the 2015 election campaigns, to provide good leadership for the country.
Ciroma, who has played influential role in the politics of the northern, however, tasked the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be prepared to correct the past mistakes that led to its defeat power and its present political misfortunes.
The former Finance minister, who spoke when the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, said the essence of politics was to improve the well being of the common man but noted that the APC appeared to be working contrary to this objective.
According to him, “Politics would always be there. There must be people, good and bad who participate in it. Everybody who participates in politics is in it for good cause and that good cause must be for the interest and political stability of all Nigerians.”
He dismissed the idea and insinuation that Nigeria is most likely to end up a one-party state, saying: “There would not be one party, there will always be one political party dominating. I insist that people must play the rightful role in politics and that role is to promote the interest of the poor masses. Anybody could make mistake but the beauty of it is that every party that has a chance to rule is prone to making mistakes. It is therefore, imperative of the PDP to sit down and correct whatever its mistakes were in the past for it to move ahead.”
Ciroma, who declared that all was not yet well with the country the way things were going economically under the APC-controlled government, added: “Just before the last elections, and when we saw the trend of event, I warned members of the PDP to prepare themselves for whatever eventuality that may come.
Today, PDP didn’t lose and APC didn’t win because APC has a lot to do. But right now, when you talk about politics you talk about PDP.
“When you talk of politics people talk about PDP as if APC does not exist. So far APC is not playing the right role. APC will make a lot of mistake and PDP must be ready to put things right and all of you must be ready to contribute and participate and get involved for the interests of Nigerians.”
Earlier, chairman of the PDP BoT, Walid Jibril, said the advice given by former BoT Chairman of the party, Chief Tony Anenih, to members of the National Assembly to stop the impeachment process of President Buhari was not necessary because there was no impeachment in the first place.
According to him, “The party leadership had found out that no such thing like the impeachment of the President existed anywhere in the National Assembly.”
He explained that the BoT had to pay Ciroma a visit to solicit his advice on the way forward for the party.
Also speaking, former Information minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, declared that, “Nigeria is going through difficult times, we in the PDP are reorganising and about to go for another convention. We know that if you talk, your voice will be respectfully heard.”
Former deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, in his remarks said: “We come here because the game has gone bad. After 16 years, unfortunately, your dreams as one of the founding fathers of the PDP have not been realised.
“We have disappointed Nigerians. Nigerians trusted us with power and we abused and misused it. Those who have been in government have destroyed democratic principles. Today, there is no internal democracy anywhere, in any party.”
