The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to convoke a national dialogue to discuss the rising insecurity in the country.
The PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, gave the advice at the emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), yesterday in Abuja.
Secondus said the insecurity situation in the country was becoming worrisome and should be promptly addressed, particularly to ensure smooth conduct of 2023 general election.
He said that the banditry and herdsmen menace were already taking huge tolls on different sectors of the country, including education and food production as farmers avoid their farms to be alive.
According to him, fear of attack has clearly frustrated the schooling system in the North-West.
Secondus said that the meeting was called to enable the party as the main opposition in the country to add its voice to the worrisome situation with a view to saving not just the democracy, but even the country.
“For us as opposition, any sacrifice to stop the endless bloodletting of innocent citizens should be activated.
“This includes, but not limited to immediate convocation of national conference on security for a comprehensive and all-embracing deliberations on the future of this country.
“All the noise for 2023 will amount to naught if the security challenges are not drastically addressed.
“I, therefore invite NEC to note on this very critical matter with a view to offering the necessary advice to the government at all levels for prompt solution.
“This has become necessary as nothing, not even 2023 is realistic if security issues are not adequately addressed,” he said.
Secondus said the meeting was also to enable the party to meet up with some statutory matters as it relates to the Anambra governorship election.
He said the meeting was to allow the NEC to act on the frightening developments in the country that required critical stakeholders to deliberate and act on the situation.
In his remarks, the Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, said Nigerians were looking up to the PDP on way out of terrorism, killings, kidnapping, banditry, youth restiveness among others.
Elumelu commended PDP leaders for the unity, expressing confidence that the party would take back the reign of power at the centre and in most states of the federation, come 2023.
He told the NEC that due to unrelenting efforts by PDP lawmakers’ caucus, many of their APC colleagues had seen reasons to join forces with them and had expressed their readiness to cross over to PDP.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen after the meeting, Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, also advised Buhari to work with the government at all levels and other stakeholders to address insecurity.
“The president has to work with the governors; he has to work with the local government chairmen.
“He has to work with the traditional institutions; he has to work with the civil society. We need information,” he said.
Mohammed also stressed the need for all stakeholders to come together to help the Federal Government in the discharge of its exclusive responsibility of providing safety and security.
He pledged the commitment of PDP governors to continue to entrench good governance and work together to regain peace in the country.