Oyegun Salutes Secondus, Calls for Robust Engagement - Printable Version +- Parapo Forums (http://www.ekitimi.com/Forums) +-- Forum: PARAPO FORUM (http://www.ekitimi.com/Forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=1) +--- Forum: POLITICS (http://www.ekitimi.com/Forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=5) +--- Thread: Oyegun Salutes Secondus, Calls for Robust Engagement (/showthread.php?tid=3100)

Oyegun Salutes Secondus, Calls for Robust Engagement - iamwebwiz - 12-13-2017 The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has challenged the newly elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to ensure a balance between partisan and national interests as he prepares to lead the PDP to provide a viable opposition to the ruling APC. Oyegun’s challenge came just as the chairman of the PDP Peace and Reconciliation Committee and Bayelsa State governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, disclosed that the party has initiated moves to reconcile aggrieved members who lost out at the Saturday convention of the party. Also addressing journalists yesterday, the newly elected National Vice Chairman, Southeast, Chief Austin Umahi, said the party would resolve, once and for all, the crisis rocking its Anambra chapter. Oyegun who congratulated Secondus for his victory said he was ready for a robust engagement with the new PDP chairman, noting that he believed this could be done without acrimony and rancour. In a statement yesterday, the APC chairman said he expected a responsible opposition that would ensure stable democracy in the country. He said: “I assure the PDP national chairman of my willingness to engage him robustly in an atmosphere devoid of acrimony and rancour. I believe that working together we can both elevate the language and temper of politics in our country, thereby providing the enabling environment for democracy to thrive in our country. “It is my hope that the newly-elected PDP national chairman will use his experience garnered over the years to ensure that the PDP assumes its role as a responsible opposition party in the country. “Our party wholeheartedly welcomes opposition because we believe that democracy cannot thrive without a vibrant but responsible opposition that puts the nation first. This will often challenge you to balance partisan interests with overall national considerations.” Also, in a bid to stave off a crisis arising from last Saturday’s national convention, the PDP Peace and Reconciliation Committee has swung into action, trying to make peace with those that were aggrieved over the outcome of the exercise. Dickson said his committee was going to visit Chief Bode George and other chairmanship aspirants from this week. Other members of the committee are Ambassador Aminu Wali (Deputy Chairman); Chief Onyema Ugochukwu (Secretary); Senator Joy Emordi; former Minister of State, FCT, Ms. Jumoke Akinjide; former Minister of Information, Chief John Odey; former Minister of Environment, Mr. Laurentia Mallam; and former Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Waziri Maina. Speaking to journalists at the Bayelsa Lodge in Abuja Monday night Dickson, said the initial contacts they made with the aspirants were positive, adding that everything possible would be done to assuage the aggrieved ones. He said the committee had already established contact with George, adding that there was no doubt that the talks would be fruitful. According to him, “Generally, we are pleased with the outcome of the exercise (convention) but we have established contact already with those who are dissatisfied and who have concerns, issues and grievances which is normal in an exercise such as this. “We have made efforts to establish contact with all the chairmanship aspirants. And we intend to interact with all other aspirants for various offices, with a view to promoting an amicable resolution and better understanding within the PDP family.” He said in the next couple of weeks and months, there would be a lot of action in this direction. He said members of the committee would from tomorrow commence visits to the chairmanship aspirants to see how the issues can be sorted out.