The just declared Chairman of the transition committee of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, while speaking on the victory and the future of the party, declared that the committee was open to reconciliation that would strengthen the party.
The lawmaker labelled the victory as a "no victor, no vanquished'' one while speaking to party members and supporters following the Supreme Court's favorable ruling on the PDP's leadership crisis on Wednesday.
He also called for unity and reconciliation. He said;
"We must be open to reconciliation, but there's a caveat. "Reconciliation does not mean we take what belongs to people and give it to you. It must be based on equity, equality and values. "With this caveat, we should be prepared and willing to reconcile with everybody. "Anybody that can meet these criteria, we should be willing and open to reconciliation with such a person, no matter who they are."
He encouraged Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff and his faction to join hands with him to advance the PDP. Makarfi likewise advised his supporters not to segregate among individuals who were members of other factions after court's judgment.
"We should continue as friends, knowing that there are things we can do together; there may be things we may not be able to do together. "We are willing to do everything on the foundation that I had mentioned.
"I urge them to come forward, join hands with us and let's see how we can move PDP forward,'' he said. Makarfi commended PDP members and the judiciary for the fair judgement, saying PDP never lost faith in the judiciary.
"This victory is not just for PDP, it's for democracy. This affirms the powers of political parties, the powers of convention of all political parties. "The battle we fought was not a battle for PDP alone. It was a battle for democracy; it was a battle for supremacy of party men and women to decide their destiny. "It is a battle to do away with dictatorship in political parties and this will never repeat itself," he said.
Makarfi promised that his committee will come up with a programme within the coming days after due consultations and meetings with key stakeholders.
"These meetings will include Expanded Caucus, Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee so that we can take far-reaching decisions on how to take the party forward."
Comments