Leadership crisis: PDP Board of Trustees to constitute committee

By Joshua Elekwachi, Abuja.

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of Nigeria’s major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), met in Abuja on Thursday in order to douse the leadership crisis rocking the party.

In its bid to solve the protracted crisis, Board of Trustees (BoT) has said it will set up a committee to resolve the internal leadership crisis rocking the party.

Former Senate President, David Mark said the meeting was cordial and very fruitful.

Mark said this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the board’s meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.

The former Senate President said the board resolved to set up a committee comprising governors, members of the BoT, National Assembly caucus of PDP, the National Working Committee, former governors and former ministers to look into the matter.

He added that the committee was needed not just to resolve issues related to recent resignation of seven deputy national officers of the party, but to make PDP more united.

Mark vehemently denied the rumour that Governor Nyesom Wike of River State was summoned to the meeting, noting the governor was a member of the board and he attended as a member.

On his part, immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki said the committee members would meet within the next 72 hours. He said this when he was asked if the current NWC of the party would be allowed to complete its tenure.

He advised against making point out of who attended the meeting for the first time, saying, “as a member, I was attending for the first time in a long time.”

He said, “We all came together to addresses some issues and because of the urgency of the matter, we agreed to set up this committee urgently.

“Within the next 48 hours to 72 hours the committee will meet and at the end of the meeting, the country will see the direction the party is going.

“The commitment of everybody to attend this meeting and subject themselves to the decision of the meeting shows the interest of everybody.

“The presence of all of us here is because this meeting of today is important in addressing some of those issues.

“My message to Nigerians is that we know the importance of this party to this nation in addressing the challenges ahead of us.

“So, let us come together as a party and salvage this country.”