Dickson: Why Adeniran, Gana Must Return to PDP

Reiterates call for Nigeria’s restructuring

Emmanuel Addeh Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, yesterday maintained that for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to have a formidable run against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019, the likes of Professors Jerry Gana and Tunde Adeniran, who recently defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) must be wooed back in no distant time.

Dickson also noted that the PDP remains a “national asset” owned by all Nigerians, and not by any individual, contrary to insinuations that the party had been hijacked by certain persons.

He described both professors as icons of democracy and leaders of progressive politics in the PDP and the country, stressing that the party must do everything within its power to win them back to its fold.

The governor said the most rational thing for all PDP stakeholders to do now is to start a process of building consensus and reaching out to players across party lines with the PDP leading the coalition to wrest power from APC in 2019.

Dickson who is also the Chairman of the PDP Reconciliation Committee, in a statement in Yenagoa, by his spokesman, Francis Agbo, said he believed that while the leaders of the party are important stakeholders in the scheme of things, the real stakeholders of PDP are the ordinary Nigerians in whom sovereignty lies.

“No one governor, no one lawmaker or leader of PDP can own PDP or singlehandedly produce a presidential candidate. Therefore, what is required of PDP leaders now is to work with all parties including those who have left the PDP to produce a credible candidate that is acceptable to the generality of Nigerians on the platform of PDP to defeat the APC in 2019,” he said.

He added that his Reconciliation Committee would continuously engage aggrieved party members, including those who have left PDP to return to the party, stressing that all well-meaning Nigerians must pull together to save the party and country from collapse.

He said with less than one year to the 2019 general election, time was of the essence and called on PDP members not to lose faith in the party.

While stressing that the next election would be critical to the survival of democracy and the country, he pointed out that history will be unkind to PDP leaders, if they fail to lead a coalition to unseat the APC-led federal government, which he noted has put the country on a precipice.

Meanwhile, Dickson, along with former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, have again called for the restructuring of the country.

Both politicians spoke when they were conferred with chieftaincy titles by the Pere of Kabowei Kingdom, King Peremobowei Shedrack-Erebulu, Aduo the 3rd in Patani.

Dickson restated his commitment to the clamour for a fair, equitable and restructured Nigeria that would be beneficial to all sections of the country.

Also speaking, Ibori, who aligned himself with Governor Dickson, called for fairness in the country and urged political leaders, irrespective of party affiliation to collectively champion the cause, noting that any referendum must be in the interest of the region.