National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Uche Secondus, says it has become necessary to reset the party to its default mode; a chieftain from the South-West, Chief Olabode George, wants aggrieved members to return, but who is listening?
Many believe that the new move is targeted at aggrieved members that fled to, but are increasingly getting disgruntled, in the All Progressives Congress (APC); and others in and headed for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Professors Jerry Gana and Tumade Adeniran and a sprinkling of PDP chieftains have already left for SDP.
Analysts are waiting to see the effect of the PDP reset.
Said Secndus in Abuja on Monday: “I hereby, as the National Chairman, do admit that the PDP made a lot of mistakes; we are humans, not spirits and the ability to admit is key in moving forward.
“We admit that we have made several mistakes; we have passed through all our challenges and have acquired the experience no other party can boast of.
“We were sanctioned by Nigerians at the polls in 2015; let me use this opportunity to apologise for our past mistakes.
“It is the honest thing to do, a legacy to transfer to our children; we cannot continue like that.
“When we make mistakes, we should come out boldly to the people and apologise.
“It is important to do so because we have learnt from our mistakes unlike the All Progressive Congress (APC) that will make mistakes and lie to cover it.
“We apologise to Nigerians that we have made mistakes, we have learnt our lessons and we are ready to begin on a new agenda; experience is the best teacher, no other party has it.”
At a public national discourse on “Contemporary Governance in Nigeria,” Secondus admitted that there was a concentration of power at the national headquarters of the PDP, and promised to devolve down the line to the wards.
He noted the cacophony of painful cries from the middle-belt region of the country and parts of the South where Fulani militia had wreaked havoc, and suggested the beleaguered party would do something about it.