Former Governor of Benue State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP}, stalwart, Senator Gabriel Suswam has said that his quest for the National Chairmanship position of the party is confronted by various interests.
The former governor, who made this known Monday in Makurdi while addressing the caucus of the PDP ahead of its coming Congresses, cautioned that his bid must not be a basis for disunity in the party in the state, assuring that leaders of the party in the state were a united family, contrary to rumours making the rounds.
He said all hands must be on deck to get the PDP back to power because the ruling party had failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians and thrown the country into economic crisis.
He said: “We are building a party that is on its knees. And we want the party to stand on its own. So please let us collaborate among ourselves to do that. I urge us to cooperate.
“Yes, I stepped out to contest for the National Chairmanship of the PDP. That is a national issue and there are various interests. If those interests converge in my favour I will get it. If the interests overpower me, I will not get it.
“There is no hanky-panky about it. Let that not be an issue that people would hold on to and start instigating division in the party by claiming that somebody is not supporting me, because there is nothing like that. Please let us all work together so that we can be seen to be doing the right thing.”
Also, the immediate past Governor of the state, Chief Samuel Ortom, who noted that members of the party in the state had witnessed what it meant to be disunited and losing election and what it meant to stand together to win an election, urged members of the party to remain united and work for the common interest of the party.
He said, “it is time for everyone of us to sheath our personal interest, stand together and ensure inclusivity in all that we do. Nobody must be undermined, no matter what.
“Those of us at the top echelon of the party have resolved to work together and in the Congresses there will be no writing of names. We will stick with what party members want from the various localities because we have seen the pains of losing and we do not want to lose again.
“Already, the party has set up an internal dispute resolution mechanism to ensure that all grievances are resolved amicably so that together we can reclaim power again.”
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, also urged party members to eschew any form of acrimony and stand united to ensure that the party reclaimed power in the state.
He said, “We should know that we are in opposition. And in the opposition, we need to be united. As a party, let’s not allow our individual ambitions and interests to becloud our sense of reasoning.
“We must realise that as we go into the congresses, we are talking about the party. The only party that will give you the platform to contest an election. If you bastardise it by imposing unpopular persons or people who cannot convince people in the communities, then we are doomed.
“Therefore, we must choose the best to work for the party, that is the only way we can dislodge these people. Already, they are making mistakes, and I think we can leverage that.
“So I encourage you, let us de-emphasize the dichotomy that we think divides us because it is we that are dividing ourselves. If we continue to place a dichotomy on our part, it means we are already disunited and we will not win any elections.”
Earlier, the state chairman of the party, John Ngbede, sued for unity in the party and encouraged members to work for the return of the party to power.
