By Abuja, Nigeria
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has appealed to all leaders and stakeholders in the (PDP) to bury the hatchet, accept the Court of Appeal verdict, and move towards holding a fresh national convention that will comply with all INEC guidelines.
Saraki in his reaction to Monday’s judgement on last year’s national convention of the party held in Ibadan advised all the leaders of the party that it was time for introspection and for them to see the Appeal Court decision as an end to all litigations.
“My own position is that the Court of Appeal has ruled. However, with the revised timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it is obvious that there is no time to wait for the Supreme Court decision.”
In a statement by Yusuph Olaniyonu, Head, Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office, Abuja, on Tuesday noted that the motive is to see that they do not jeopardise the chances of their numerous members who want to contest elections on their platform.
“Otherwise, we would not meet the deadlines for completing the process of nominating candidates. Also, uncertainty will continue to hang over the validity of the tickets issued to those nominated on the PDP platform.”
“One of the key essentials of a political party is to provide a platform for candidates seeking to serve the people by contesting elections. We should not defeat this purpose. It is for these reasons that I believe the only option open to all of us is to end all litigation and work with the arrangements that are on the ground for holding a national convention within the INEC timetable,” the statement added.
The former lawmaker urged the party to accept the only viable option which according to him is for them to sit down, discuss, and work towards holding an all-inclusive national convention at a time that will comply with INEC guidelines.
