Former President Goodluck Jonathan said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had constituted a committee to find political solution to its leadership crisis.
He told newsmen in Abuja that constitution of the committee was a major outcome of a stakeholders meeting of the party’s members held on Thursday.
Jonathan, who convened the meeting, said that the committee would be chaired by him and had two weeks to submit recommendations for consideration by the stakeholders.
He said that in his absence, the committee would be chaired by former Vice President, Nnamadi Sambo or Sen. David Mark.
Jonathan said that PDP leaders believed that various matters of the party before the courts would be resolved in the next few months but that the party would not surrender its powers entirely to the court.
“We will take some steps to make sure that we will keep our people together and work with all the interested parties to see how we can resolve this difference.’’
He listed members of the committee as six from of the Board of Trustees – one per geo-political zone as well as six each from the two groups within the party.
Others members, according to him, are all PDP governors, Deputy President of the Senate, Senate Minority Leader, House of Representatives Minority Leader and Minority Whip.
“We will consult with both groups and take two former governors – one from the North and one from the South; two former ministers, two women, two youths – all will be one from the north and one from the South,’’ he added.
Jonathan expressed optimism that when the committee met, minor issues experienced during the stakeholders meeting would be resolved.
“Be assured that we are determined to restore our party, and to make sure that PDP becomes stronger and stronger. We are determined to ensure that PDP rises again,’’ he said.
Earlier at the opening of the meeting, Jonathan had urged PDP leaders to make personal and general sacrifices to ensure quick resolution of the party’s problems.
He described PDP as a symbol of democracy and said that there was no sacrifice too big for anybody who believed in the party to make.
“As politicians with the zeal to lead our people, we must aspire to higher offices or identify the people we believe have leadership qualities and encourage them to aspire to those positions.
“But one thing is very clear, you cannot, as the polity is configured today, be elected into a higher office on the platform of a weak party.
“We must all, therefore, work to rebuild the PDP and strengthen the party in line with the vision of our founding fathers.’’
He reminded the members that the prolongation of the party’s crisis had cost them so much in election fortunes, in recent times.
“The loss of Edo and Ondo gubernatorial elections is still fresh in our memory.
“It goes without saying that we cannot afford to have a repeat of that in the forthcoming elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states.’’
He therefore said that it was high time the members buried their hatchet, suppressed their ego and prepared to make sacrifices in the interest of PDP and the country.
“We must realize that as they say, everybody is nobody without a platform. So, why destroy the platform?’’
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sen. Walid Jubrin, urged the party leaders to embrace strategies that would regain the party’s lost glory.
“We must be able to bring ourselves together and forget our differences for the sake of the party. We must be ready to do away with selfish interests and ambitions.
“We must also forego blame game and be involved in forecast and formation and never abandoned PDP,” Jubrin said.
In attendance at the meeting was Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, who later walked out, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, PDP Governors, former ministers, BoT members, former governors, among others. (NAN)