PDP will bounce back, Damagum expresses optimism

• Says defectors will return

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

From the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Ilya Damagum came a firm optimism that the leading opposition party will bounce back from its many challenges.

Damagum equally expressed the firm belief that those who defected from PDP to other political parties will come back.

The PDP, it will be recalled, has witnessed defections of some of its members to the All Progressives Congress (APC), and now to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) which is now coalition platform.

Speaking with Journalists after the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the meeting which came in the heels of the 100th NEC meeting that reinstated Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary, Damagum said the PDP is drawing a line of its committed members of the party and will take appropriate actions at the right time.

He disclosed that the party has resolved and trashed it’s thorny issues.

According to him,”We remain united despite all the challenges. We have sat down to discuss all thorny issues and trashed it out.

“Our leaders have already come together to give us this leadership. This is what you can see in this NWC. And I keep reiterating this is the only party in the country that has lasted this long.

“We have mastered the act of complete resolution. We know our problems and we solve it within ourselves.

“To those that are contemplating, they should not, they have no place and there is nowhere that will be as accommodating as our party.

“But if they feel (leaving), I will wish them good luck. But I know they will run coming back.

“We have agreed that we have already, as proposed by the last meeting that the next (NEC) meeting scheduled for 23rd, 24th and 25th will still hold,” he said.

Damagum stated that PDP is intact, and told the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that his policies should people-oriented.

Continuing, he said, “We are not conquered; we are law-abiding citizens. We deserve to be heard.

“For democracy to survive, people must say their minds. People should be listened to and policies, I mean policies should be people-oriented,” Damagum stated, hunger, insecurity, arbitrary expulsion of Nigerians is more than overwhelming”, he said.