Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi state have on Saturday met in a retreat in Abuja to deliberate on the state of the former ruling party in the run up to the 2023 election.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki, was the guest speaker at the occasion which attracted former Kogi state governors, former and present members of the National Assembly from when state elected under the PDP and many other party stalwarts.
Saraki who left the meeting halfway to jet to Delta state for another engagement, later tweeted: “As we continue to work to reposition our party, this morning, it was an absolute pleasure to join our brothers and sisters from the confluence state, under the banner of the Kogi @OfficialPDPNig Renaissance, to discuss the past, the present, and the future of our great party.”
Before leaving, the former Kwara state governor described the retreat as a pointer to the readiness of the PDP to put its house in order not only in Kogi but throughout the country.
He said: “Kogi has witnessed a change in fortune since 2015 but I am happy because today’s meeting sends a strong message to the PDP family throughout the country. We must not forget that our party, the PDP is the landlord in Kogi that was robbed of victory in the past elections.
“So, we must set aside our differences in the interest of the party.”
Saraki warned that if the party fails to unite, it may suffer the same fate as in the last elections.
In his keynote address at the occasion, former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, observed that Nigerians have suffered more economically under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration than any other time since independence.
He said Nigeria has sunk deeply into artificially created challenges by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
While recalling the importance of Kogi state in the pre and post-colonial political development of Nigeria, he urged PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state to work assiduously toward reclaiming its governance in the next governorship election.
He said: “The Misery Index in Nigeria is the worst in Africa. The level of indebtedness in the past few years is such that every Nigerian is now in debt. The Naira is perhaps one of the most useless currencies in Africa today.
“I have never seen this level of corruption as we have today. In fact, the level of corruption makes the PDP governments look like angels because corruption is now a thousand times worse.”
On insecurity, the former University don noted that against the backdrop of the scourge of the twin evils of banditry and kidnapping; the PDP has the duty to send the APC packing not only at the state level but at the centre in 2023.
Against the backdrop of recent call by Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina state for citizens to arm themselves against bandits, Gana tasked PDP leadership to reflect on life in its whole essence if Katsina could also afford to cry.
“Governor Masari was advocating recently that everyone in Katsina state should get a gun. Do you know where Katsina is? Do you know who comes from Katsina?” Gana asked rhetorically.
Gana urged the Kogi state chapter of the PDP to put aside anything capable of threatening its chances at the poll in 2023 saying, “You have the best chance to take over power in Kogi. Kogi is very central because every part of Nigeria passes through Kogi.
“Whoever is ruling Kogi cannot lie because if you are doing something, people will see it and know. If you are not doing anything, the people will know. We have the people and the resources. So, Kogi has no excuse not to excel.”
Ahead of the election in 2023, the PDP chieftain highlighted a number of factors that will see the PDP rerun to power.
According to him, strategy, organization, grassroots presence, free, fair, credible primaries, justice, equity and fairness as well as resources and logistics will be indispensable to achieve victory.
Also speaking, Hon, David Ina Ogu, Chairman, Kogi PDP Renaissance Group, described the body as “ a Consultative initiative of concerned PDP members made up of loyal and committed party members who share mutual concerns for the party.”
He added that its core objectives are “to partner with the state executive committee of the party to build synergy that will reinvigorate the party, mobilize and sensitize the teeming grassroots support base in preparations for the task of reclaiming the state in 2023.”
The meeting we organized by the Kogi PDP Renaissance Group.
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