The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday inaugurated the newly elected executive officials of the party for Plateau, with the outgoing Chairman, Raymond Dabo, challenging his successor, Damishi Sango, to rebuild the party.
Dabo said at the inauguration in Jos that “when we lost elections, we thought we are going to go extinct, but from the enthusiasm of members, one can see that we are very much on ground.”
He challenged Sango, former Minister of Sports, to focus on reconciling aggrieved members so as to build a strong outfit capable of presenting a strong opposition to the ruling party.
In his speech, Sango promised to use his mandate to reconcile aggrieved party members preparatory to presenting a strong force in future elections.
He said “the expectations are high, but with God on our side, we will achieve our target.
“Whatever will divide the party and create factions will not be allowed.
“We need your support to succeed and we, as an executive council, must be united and give a credible alternative.”
Sango, who described members of the new executives as vibrant, said it was a blend of old and young people with the energy to revive the party.
He welcomed the former state Chairman of the PDP, Prof. Dakum Shown, back to the fold, saying that with his return, a major reconciliation process had begun.
The new chairman said that the party would benefit from the wealth of knowledge of Shown, who was the first speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly, “and had seen all manners of political seasons.”
The chairman said that the new executives would soon embark on tour of local governments to reconcile aggrieved people at that level.
According to him, the party is infected but it will soon be healed.
Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, former Minister of Water Resources, in her remarks, told PDP members who were “on holiday” to return to the fold.
Shown, in his brief address, said he had spoken with those perceived to be aggrieved and had brought their hearts back to PDP.
“We should forgive and forget and play our part toward a golden period the Plateau people are yearning for,” he said. (NAN)