A former presidential aspirant under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Cosmos Ndukwe, has suggested that the party should integrate with others to form mega party.
He opined that if this step is not taken, the party may gradually be facing extinction.
He aired his view in an interview with Daily Sun.
He frowned at leaders of the party’s energy at supremacy tussle instead of repositioning the party.
He said, “PDP should find a way to integrate with other parties and form a mega opposition party if truly it wants to survive. Otherwise, PDP may be going extinct. I think it is time for Nigeria to cut down on multiplicity of parties. The issue of having too many parties is not enough.
“The country is battling with a very bad economy. The country is broke. And as such, we need too much parties that the government will also fund. During elections, they will give money to this party. We need to cut down, if we really want to heal the nation and move it forward. People are angry. The nation is breeding. And we need to heal this wound.”
He also revealed that too many parties is a burden to the government and as such there is a need for reduction through mergence.
“This multiplicity of party to my mind, I would say that they should adopt one opposition party. They did that before to have APC. And it is time now for PDP to do what ACN did to form APC. I can’t see what any party can do to challenge APC; except they are turning Nigeria to one party state, then all of us will move to APC.
“But if PDP wants to survive as a party, it is time to jettison pride. It is time to come together. It is time to form alliances to get a mega party. And that mega party will be the only panacea to fight APC, if they really want to survive as a party. Since 1998 that the party was formed, it is time for them to open their flanks and admit other parties and form one single, very strong reliable party and move forward.
“The PDP is yet to heal from the wounds of the last election, how do you think the party can unite its members going forward?
“What I suggested will equally help in the healing process. Because I can assure you that for some members of PDP now, it is one leg in, one leg out. I can assure you of that. That will equally help in the healing process. For the party to heal completely, we need others to come in.
“And you will now know who really wants to stay in PDP and who wants to go.”
However, Chief Ndukwe has decried being neglected after his aspiration.
The PDP chieftain revealed that since his bid for the number one seat in the country failed, he has not even received a call from anybody for anything.
He explained that the sidelining of members in the party could fuel their thought of moving to the All Progressives Congress, where they could be relevant.
He stated that since after the election, no stakeholders meeting has been called, instead the leaders of the party are fighting for supremacy.
He reiterated that all members of the party are carrying wounds from the previous election, adding that if the party does not make steps in healing the wound fast, it would lead to mass defection of members.
In his words, “All of us are carrying bullet wounds. I have my own wound. And so many other persons have their own wound. We all have bullet wounds. And this wound, if we don’t heal it on time, will deteriorate. It will make us to move to APC; some of us who feel neglected, like me I contested the presidential primary. Since after that, no one has called me. No one has called stakeholders for a meeting after the election.”
