How To Rebuild PDP, By Wike, Others

The Rivers State Governor, Barrister Nyesom Wike and other big wigs of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) have sued for more unified action to keep the party united.
Speaking at a one-day retreat tagged, “ The Role of the Opposition in Facilitating Development and Good Governance,” organised by National Assembly members of the party in Port Harcourt, on Monday, Wike said the party must review its media and publicity strategy.
The Rivers State governor observed that the party got negative publicity due to the partisan stance of many of the media houses who were largely owned by opposition members.
He said “the PDP has tried, the media had already made up its mind not to support anything PDP.”
The ploy, he further stated, was to paint Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states as violent, while burying the good sides of those states where PDP was winning.
On his part, former Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, stressed the need to build the party at the grassroots.
Akpabio said, “we should stop building a cult around individuals”.
The former Akwa-Ibom State governor reminded them that the future of the party as an opposition party depends on the disposition and commitment of members, saying, “we don’t need to learn to be in opposition, we are already in it.”
Chairman, Editorial Board of ThisDay Newspaper, Segun Adeniyi, who spoke on The Role of the Media in Opposition, said the PDP needs to be on the offensive in order to make impact as an opposition party.
He recommended for a Media and Research team that will provide accurate and balanced information, saying the PDP needs to put the Federal Government to task always.
The  party also called for synergy among its members, especially those in the two chambers of the National Assembly for a purposeful and credible opposition.
PDP’s acting National Chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus  made the call at retreat for elected PDP National Assembly members in Port Harcourt.
Secondus urged party members to accept their position as opposition with a view to re-engineering the party to victory in the next election.
He tasked the party on discipline, which he said, was a very important attitude in driving development.
The PDP acting national chairman lauded the party for strengthening democracy in the country, saying that it acted in the national interest by conceding defeat.
Secondus promised more democratic based primaries in the party which would be merit-oriented  as a means of keeping the party alive.
Senate President, David Mark, urged members to take their destiny in their hands to ensure the party’s survival.
He said that opposition was the beauty of democracy and that PDP could not achieve success as opposition party without being vibrant and responsible.
The senate president noted that the ruling party would do everything possible to divide the PDP to enable them have their way but ‘’we must remain united and focused’’.
“There has to be proper synergy between members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to ensure PDP stays alive,’’ Mark said.
Also speaking, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu called on PDP National Assembly members to rise up to the challenge of opposition with responsibility.
Ekweremadu urged the party members in the National Assembly to hold APC accountable to all their campaign promises.
“We should not only hold them accountable in terms of their list of promises but also in accordance with the timeline they gave in the course of the campaigns.
“They should be able to bring exchange rates down to one naira to one dollar and bring back the Chibok girls, ’’ he said.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha called on PDP members to be courageous in their role as opposition.
Ihedioha, who commended APC for a classical opposition role during PDP’s reign, said that it was time to pay them in their own coin.
He said that every successful opposition always partnered with the media and being able to be vigilant at all times.
“Do not relent, we need to work on our media friends, it is time to call attention of people when things begin to go wrong,’’ Ihedioha said.