Two former ministers, who served in the
Peoples Democratic Party-controlled Federal Government, have declared
that it will not be easy for the party to return to power in 2019...
The two former ministers are a former
Minister of Police Affairs, Mallam Maina Maziri, and a former Minister
of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina.
They spoke at the official declaration
by Prof. Tunde Adeniran to join the race for the national chairmanship
election slated for December 9 in Abuja.
For the party to return to power and
regain the confidence of Nigerians again, they said its next crop of
national officers must be men and women of proven integrity.
“Don’t be deceived. It is not easy to reclaim Aso Villa in 2019” Maina warned.
He called on party supporters to work
industriously for the task ahead “because the government in power would
not relinquish power easily.”
On her part, the former women affairs
minister said, “The PDP needs to get it right with the next national
convention. We must reject imposition in whatever guise.
“The road to power in 2019 could be very
fierce and tedious. We need fighters who will not give up easily. We
need people of honour and integrity to lead us.”
Also speaking on the occasion, a former
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, pronounced
himself a ‘born-again’ politician.
Mantu stated that whatever he now said was the truth, urging members of the PDP to believe him.
The former deputy Senate president said
he had fasted for 30 days during which he said God told him that the
party must pick Adeniran.
He added, “I’m now born again; whatever I
say now is the truth. Some people came to the PDP with nothing and left
with billions. We need to bring the party to the people now. We need
to be sober and apologise for what we have done wrong in the past.
“I fasted for 30 days and 30 nights,
asking God to show me who would lead the party. God showed me Adeniran.
Let’s now look forward and make sure that we elect a credible chairman.
“We should make sure that nobody short-changes us at the national convention.
His remarks elicited further laughter amongst the delegates.
Adeniran, a former Minister of
Education, said the December 9 convention remained an opportunity for
the PDP to bounce back to power, stressing, however, that doing so
required reconciliation, unity and a rebuilding process.
While soliciting massive support across
the six-geo-political zones, Adeniran, a former Ambassador to Germany,
pledged to work tirelessly to “reaffirm and entrench the founding
principles of our great party; restore the sanctity of internal
democracy and the rule of law and return the party to the people in
tandem with the spirit and intent of its slogan.”
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