PDP Supreme Court judgement: Dickson urges party faithful not to lose hope

AS the Supreme Court prepares to deliver judgement on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) national leadership tussle, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has strongly advised leaders and members of the party not to lose hope, but to remain in the party, assuring that PDP will bounce back soon.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr Francis Agbo and made available to journalists in Yenagoa.

The governor averred that what the party needed at this juncture was to play its role as a leading opposition voice, with genuine reconciliation founded on compromises and forgiveness.

Dickson, who is the chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation Committee said, he was speaking out of concern, following the decampment of PDP members to other parties, as well as reports of party leaders floating alternative political platforms.

According to the governor, if PDP leaders had accepted the Reconciliation Template formulated by his committee, a unity national convention would have held this month to elect its national leadership, and this he believes, would have put to rest the leadership crisis rocking the party.

He, however, lamented that the brilliant template was jettisoned as some party leaders opted for the court which he stressed can only adjudicate and not reconcile feuding parties.

Dickson said political leaders in Nigeria exert too much pressure on the judiciary by failing to do things rightly, by failing to build consensus as well as refusing to respect laid down rules of politics.

He therefore, advised political leaders to stop relying on the judiciary to resolve issues that borders on internal party dynamism, stressing that, internal disputes can best be resolved through a political solution.

The governor said the failure of the PDP leaders to unite, especially after the loss of federal power, has weakened the party across the country, especially in states like Edo, Ondo, Benue, Lagos and others where governorship/local government elections had been conducted and about to hold in other states.

To this end, Dickson reiterated that his committee has not relented on reconciliation and confidence building in the party irrespective of the lingering litigation and promised to address PDP faithful after the Supreme Court judgement.