Leadership Crisis: Gov. Mimiko Expresses Concern about PDP's Continued Existence

 

 

The leadership crisis in the People's Democratic Party involving the Ahmed Markafi and Ali Modu Sheriff's factions has crippled the viability of the party as a watchdog to the ruling All Progressives Congress in Nigeria.

 

This has forced some sincere comments from the embattled Governor of Ondo state and Chairman of the PDP's Governors’ Forum, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko who said the party may be going into extinction if things don't change, New Telegraph reports.

The National Headquarters of the PDP is yet to be reopened, 52 days after it was shut. Mimiko hinged his fears on indiscipline among the rank and file of the party members which has given rise to several litigations in different courts on the leadership crisis in the party. He spoke at the zonal meeting of the PDP held in Akure, the state capital, yesterday.

Both Senators Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi factions are in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja courts contending over the leadership crisis in the party. Mimiko said it was indiscipline that made people to rush to court over issues that could be settled without interference of the judiciary. This indiscipline, he said, must be kicked out of the PDP before it kills the party .

Apparently referring to Sheriff , Mimiko wondered how somebody would think of running a political party based on court judgements when all organs of the party have not given him the nod.

These courts cases , he said, may eventually lead to the death of the party and foster one - party state and dictatorial tendency on the citizens.

His words: “Unless, let me repeat it, unless we exorcise this demonic tendency to rush to the court, this party will never find its feet: the future is jeopardised, the future will continue to be uncertain if each time anybody feels abused the next thing is to go to court.

“I think this is one area we must tackle as a party if we must move forward. That is the biggest threat and challenge we have as a party.

Nobody should deceive himself, especially those who are not direct political practitioners, nobody should deceive himself that trouble in PDP will necessarily translate and remain as trouble within PDP alone. Ultimately, the PDP that is unsettled is a veritable origination of dictatorship in our land.”

According to him, the high level of indiscipline in the party has culminated into series of leadership crises at the national level and challenges that also have overbearing effects in some state chapters of the party.