Prominent Northern voices and elder statesmen, Professor Ango Abdullahi and Alhaji Tanko Yakasai have reacted to leadership crisis rocking the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
This was as Professor Abdullahi said; Nigerians should be happy if the PDP collapses, because the party ruined Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Yakasai in is own view said, both Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff should resign their position as Caretaker Committee Chairman and Chairman of the party respectively for peace to reign.
Professor Abdullahi, one time Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and chieftain of the Northern Elders Forum, said the PDP is tired of itself and has already dissolved itself.
According to him, “am not worried at all by the leadership crisis in the PDP. Even though, I was a founding member of the party, but I left the party in 2003. I shouldn’t be worried when PDP itself is tired of itself and to me, it has already dissolved itself. So, why should anyone worry for it when there are other parties Nigerians can join? I don’t see any reason why their internal crisis should worry anyone.
“Forget about the party being the major opposition party, another one will emerge quickly. That I can assure you. So, if it likes, let it collapse, another party will emerge. After all, they are the one who ruined the country. So, if they collapse, we should be happy.
“There will never be one party system in Nigeria. Nigeria’s sophistication will never allow a one party system, which will translate into dictatorship. So, there will always be opposition parties”.
When asked to advise the party on the way out of the crisis, Professor Abdullahi in a telephone interview said, “I don’t have any advice for any party that wishes to break up, they should break up if they so wish.
“If they have been in consultation with good people around the country, they should have known that, they have had a crisis which led to their failure election and work hard to hard to ensure that, the damage caused by themselves is repaired one way or the other. But, instead of working hard to repair it, they are even causing more injury to themselves”, he said.
Meanwhile, Yakasai in his own view said, PDP as a major opposition cannot afford any form of distraction at this time and therefore, both Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff should resign their positions to allow peace reign in the party.
Yakasai, a former chairman of the Northern Elders Council and a strong supporter of the PDP said, there is still hope for the party, if they consult widely and follow wise counsel, even though he was not prophesying that the party will win election in the next two years.
According to him, “Am worried about the crisis in the PDP, though, it is not a factional crisis as people call it, it is purely a leadership crisis only in respect to the position of chairman.
“My concern is that, as a major opposition political party in Nigeria. Any crisis in that party will be unnecessary distraction, because what the party needs is to concentrate and re-examine itself, by way of self-questioning, why did things went wrong this way? And am sure, if you consult widely, they will find people who will tell them frankly where they went wrong. PDP started to derail when they borrowed the idea of party leaders under Obasanjo.
“They should consult widely and follow wise counsel to correct their mistakes, they will do well again. I am not a fortune teller, am not saying they will win election in two years’ time, I can’t say that, but I can tell you that they can re-energise themselves.
“I will not be happy for a Nigeria where the opposition will be so weak, that the government of the day will do things as it wishes, check and balances are the beauty of democracy.
“So, my advice just like that of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s is that, both Makarfi and Sheriff should resign as the chairmen of the party, because immediately they resign, there will be peace. The party can then organise a convention”, he said.
THE NATION
