Hit by high-profile members leaving for or contemplating joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is scrambling to reposition itself to enable it to effectively discharge its role as the main opposition and prepare for future elections.
The party has recently lost most of its members in the Rivers State House of Assembly to the APC while some of its high-profile members are signaling that they may be on their way to the ruling party.
But despite the threat of losing more members to the APC, the PDP is maintaining a stoic stance that it remains the only organic political party in the country as it is confident that while some people may be leaving, others are joining their fold.
Its National Working Committee (NWC) led by the acting National Chairman, Umar Iliya Damangun and the party’s National Assembly caucus led by Senator Abba Moro, met at its national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday to brainstorm on ways to deal with the present situation and how to make the party a winning machine going forward.
Party sources are saying that its renewed move is anchored on its perception that the APC government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu has been unable to provide the necessary governance to pull the nation out of its socioeconomic woes.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that Thursday’s meeting was about repositioning the main opposition party.
“The meeting you referenced earlier of the NWC with the leadership of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, the team of Senate minority leadership led by Abba Moro, came visiting and we had very good issues relating to repositioning the party,” he said.
According to the party spokesman, the PDP is not thinking about defecting members but about policies that resonate well with the Nigerian people.
He said: “It is not about defecting. It is about what people believe in. Do we have a party today in government that has any policy when the economy is halting and sliding into oblivion, where insecurity is the order of the day and where you can’t find leadership even in adversity you don’t find the president around?”
Speaking specifically on members defecting, he affirmed that the issue of Rivers State is unique as the party has been facing challenges there which he said were being addressed.
Ologunagba however maintained that the PDP is not worried about the defections because, according to him, people have the right to move to any political party they want.
He said: “People have a right to go to any party they choose to go to. But that is not to indicate that the party is not working.
“If the leadership of the Senate and all of them met, and agreed that yes, we have a party which will be the alternative party and government against this rudderless APC government, I think you should look into that direction, what we are doing.”
He said the PDP is actively pursuing what will make democracy survive in the country rather than be worried about individuals who are expressing their right to freedom of association.
“When you talk about people leaving the party, you have to look at the value they bring to the party. What is the value that you talk about people leaving? We are talking about the crucial man, which is the Nigerian people.
“That is why you see all the organs of the party are now moving starting with this National Assembly. This is the base of the party,” the party spokesman declared.
. TheWitness