PDP wants to face Buhari in 2019

Leaders of the PDP yesterday prayed for President Muhammadu Buhari to recover, return to the country and hand over power to them in 2019.

Buhari is currently receiving medical attention in the United Kingdom.

Speaking at the Yar’adua Centre, in Abuja, where the Prof. Jerry Gana-led PDP 2019 Strategy and Inter-Party Affairs Committee submitted its report to the chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, the party leaders said preparations were in top gear to wrest power from Buhari.

After receiving the 11chapter report, Makarfi said the need to pray for Buhari was to ensure that he recovered so that the PDP would defeat him at the polls in 2019, and then take over power from him directly.

“Nigerians cannot continue to be patient forever. It is either we do the right thing or the right thing will be done to us. Do not take the Nigerian voter for granted; we wish him quick recovery,” Makarfi said.

He stated that the committee’s report would be subjected to critical analysis by various organs of the party for adoption and implementation.

Similarly, the chairman, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Sen. Walid Jibrin, said: “As a good opposition, we shall never engage in wishing President Buhari dead, instead, we are engaged in special prayers for Mr President.

“PDP believes that it is God that brings and takes life. We equally believe that power belongs to God; He gives it to who he wishes. All those trying to involve PDP in wishing the president dead should better stop as PDP has a good name to maintain,” he said.

Chairman of the strategy committee, Prof. Gana announced that key leaders of seven political parties who were disenchanted with the turn of events in the country were to meet a PDP delegation last night, to finetune strategies ahead of 2019, adding that his committee advanced the various democratic means of winning under “an APC controlled INEC.”

He enumerated the committee’s recommendations to include direct primary system for the party; respect for zoning of party offices and conduct of congresses; need to avoid the culture of impunity and imposition of candidates among many others.

Former governors of Niger, Kaduna, Jigawa and Kogi states, Babaginda Aliyu, Ramalan Yero, Sule Lamido and Idris Wada, respectively, attended the meeting.