The ongoing reconciliation within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is giving chieftains of the opposition party sleepless nights, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Godswil Akpabio has said.
According to him, members of the opposition party are jittery by series of high-level meetings going on among governors and other stakeholders aimed at rebuilding the party ahead of 2015 election.
Akpabio, disclosed this on Tuesday while fielding questions from newsmen shorthly after meeting President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja.
He said everything is being put together to ensure the success of the forthcoming Southwest congress and the national convention of the party, saying opposition parties are panicking already.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and some PDP governors, it was gathered held meetings with the President late Monday night till the early hours of Tuesday as part of the measures being put in place to reconcile aggrieved members, especially the governors.
Also, it is no longer news that five northern governors, namely Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano, Magartarkada Wammako of Sokoto, Muritala Nyako of Adamawa and Babangida Aliyu of Niger have been meeting with former leaders of the country to discuss the State of the Nation ahead of next general elections.
Governor Akpabio said, “all the steps being taken at the moment are steps in the right direction to ensure cohesion and bring back all the party faithful, particularly, the body of governors will come together to work as one for the interest of Nigeria and the interest of the PDP”.
Asked about the five governors that are aggrieved, the Governor said “I know that all the governors of the PDP are working towards the success of the party. I am not aware of any five aggrieved governors but one thing I can assure you is that there is a jitter in the camp of the opposition with the meetings of PDP governors and the national convention that is coming up.
“This is because as soon as the PDP puts its house in order, you know the result. The result is that Nigerians will follow because that is a truly national party in Nigeria. That is the only party without cleavages of ethnicity or tribalism and that is the only party without a godfather.
“All of us are there because it is a national party and it beings to all Nigerians. I am happy with the progress being made to ensure total reconciliation and I am very hopeful that at the end of this exercise Nigeria will continue to enjoy good governance”.
On his mission at the Presidential Villa, he said he came to brief President Jonathan “on the progress we are making towards the Southwest congress that is coming up on the 24th of August and also the national convention that is coming up on the 31st”.
“You know even in the meeting what we are talking about are part and parcel of the processes of rebuilding the party and ensuring total reconciliation,” the chairman of the Finance Committee of the PDP Convention said.
