NATIONAL chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has said the party is committed to creating a level playing field for all its members.
He said the surest way for the PDP to regain power in the country in 2019 is by allowing the members to freely chose those who will fly the party’s flag in various election.
The PDP leader stated this yesterday in Abuja, when he received former presiding officers and members of the House of Representatives, who are still members of the opposition party who paid a courtesy visit at the party national headquarter.
This was coming as there were strong indications that two former governors of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja and his predecessor, Chief Christopher Alao-Akala, may have returned to the PDP as both men were said to have been represented at a meeing between national leadership of the party stakeholders from the state.
While Ladoja was represented by Senator Femi Lanlehin, Alao- Akala was represented by as Biodun Tajudeen Kareem.
Ladoja and Akala, had dumped the PDP for Accord Party and Labour Party (LP), respectively, after completing their single terms as governors. Addressing the former lawmakers, led by former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Austin Opara, Makarfi stressed the need to ensure that there is internal democracy in the party.
He said in the renewed effort to rebuild the party, the caretaker committee would play by the rules and admonished members to avoid cutting corners in pursuit of their political aspirations.
He said:” I will stick to the party guidelines and constitution in doing whatever we do. We must stop cutting corners. We live in a high litigious society.
“When we cut corners thinking that nobody will see you, a lot of people see you; at a time you least expect, somebody will drag you to court again. Therefore, what is worth doing is worth doing well. Let’s build a strong and virile political party. Let there be a level playing field for people to freely chose who they want to present them as the party’s candidates. That is the surest way to get to power come 2019. That is what internal democracy is all about.”
He added: “What I don’t want is for one party to dominate. We want a healthy competitive democracy where people will freely chose their leaders.
