Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has declared that no individual is greater than the Peoples Democratic Party, amid the ongoing leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
Speaking on Thursday after the inauguration of the South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee at the PDP national headquarters in Abuja, Diri stressed that the party’s challenges and their resolutions remain internal matters.
“The PDP must sit back and address its internal issues and challenges. Only then can we stand up and compete with others. We are the oldest political party in Nigeria, so we have no reason to blame outsiders,” he said.
Diri’s remarks come as the party grapples with internal divisions, particularly regarding the leadership of the National Secretary position, which the Appeal Court in Enugu recently ruled in favour of Sunday Ude-Okoye.
The crisis within the party has intensified, leading to divisions within its key structures, including the Board of Trustees, the National Working Committee, and the National Executive Committee.
The situation is particularly tense in the South-South, where a recent zonal congress held on February 22 without the governors’ input has deepened the rift.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has launched a scathing attack on some PDP governors, accusing them of undermining the party’s survival.
“This is a set of governors that want PDP to die. Their only interest is to kill the PDP,” Wike said on Wednesday while addressing journalists on the crisis within the party.
Diri, however, insisted that the PDP must resolve its internal problems, emphasizing that no individual is bigger than the party.
“We have to look inward. If you listen to the BOT chairman, we must first fix our own problems. It is easy to point fingers, but what is happening within us?
“For me, I want the PDP to be competitive. We must resolve our challenges because, once we do that, there can be no one person bigger than the party,” he added.
Diri described the inauguration of the South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee as a step forward but admitted that the party was still in the process of rebuilding.
“I wouldn’t say the party has been fully restored, but in our zone, the South-South, you will agree with me that it is the only zone where we have four PDP governors. We have all resolved to stand together.
“The Deputy Governor of Delta is here. I have just received messages from the governors of Akwa Ibom and Rivers. So, it’s clear that we are united. If we are united, what we will do is show leadership and work with the zonal committee so that our zone will be safe again for the PDP,” he added.
Meanwhile, the newly inaugurated South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee Chairman, Emmanuel Ogidi, assured party members that the committee would carry out its responsibilities impartially, without bias or fear.
