The National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Uche Secondus, has promised to decentralise power of the party’s national leaders to state executive committees.
Secondus stated this on Monday in Abuja at the handover of the party leadership by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee to the new national leadership of the party elected at Saturday’s national convention.
He said that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party would empower the states’ executive committees so that attention could be focused on regaining power in 2019.
“Let me assure the state chapters and our state chairmen that from today, you will have full powers to operate to make sure that our party progresses in the right direction.
“I will empower you on behalf of the EXCO.
“We will decentralize power from the centre so that we will be less busy here to focus on same mission to reclaim our lost grounds in 2019,” Secondus said.
He assured that with the taking over of party leadership by a new executive committee led by him, there would be no more impunity in PDP.
“The old order is gone. We will operate in the new order. There will be transparency in primaries,” he said.
The chairman stated that the first assignment for NWC would be reconciliation among party members, especially candidates at the just-concluded convention.
He said that the work of reconciliation had started and expressed optimism that it would be productive.
He added that the gate of PDP was open to all party members, especially those who left, irrespective of their religious beliefs and class.
“This is the only platform that does not belong to any group or big man. This is a party that provides for the big, the small and the less-privileged.”
Secondus said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was running a broken government, and pledged that PDP would rescue and rebuild the country.
He added that his leadership would not be distracted by the false propaganda of the ruling party.
Secondus said that the new executive would come up with its policies and plan for a retreat, which would hold in next couple of days
He commended Makarfi for accomplishing the mission the party bestowed on him even in the trying moments of the party.
He added that Makarfi also organised the best convention in the history of any political party in the nation at a time people were so sacred and afraid that there would be nothing like PDP again.
“You are our hero. History will remember you.
“We need you to standby because your advice and input will be very useful, if we must move forward.’’
Earlier, Makarfi had advised the new executive to ensure that the party won the 2019 general elections.
He also urged it to focus on reconciliation, and appealed to party members to work together with the new leadership.