Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, has called on all Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faithful and leaders to respect judgement of the Supreme Court and team up with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Committee to move the party forward.
He also advised the former national Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff , to reconcile with and fully support Makarfi to save the party.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser (Media Relations), Francis Agbo, Dickson advised all PDP leaders ”to pursue true and genuine reconciliation of all contending parties in the party with a view to organising an all-inclusive National Unity Convention to select the national leadership of PDP. ‘’
He said that true reconciliation and a National Unity Convention would build confidence in the party as well as ‘‘endear Nigerians to PDP and persuade those who had defected from our great party to return to PDP ahead of 2019.’’
Dickson said, ‘‘I call on Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and his supporters and all contending parties in our great party, PDP to respect the verdict of the Supreme Court as the final arbiter.
“Without such support, genuine reconciliation cannot take place; without such support, the Caretaker Committee will have a herculean task organising an acceptable convention, without genuine reconciliation, the party cannot move forward.’’
The Governor said that the prolonged PDP leadership crisis was avoidable, hoping that the PDP leadership would put in place measures to forestall re-occurrence of the needles crisis.