The All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart and former governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, has said it was time for members of the APC in Rivers State to come together as a team in the task of rebuilding the party.
Peterside made the call in Port Harcourt during a meeting with stakeholders.
He was reacting to recent developments in the state chapter of APC, which had caused some persons to resign their membership of the party.
The former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and 2015 APC governorship candidate said he was a “proud member” of APC, who believed in the party’s ideals and philosophy, but was “concerned, like other party stakeholders in Rivers State, about recent developments in APC, Rivers State.”
He said: “Now that it is evidently inevitable that we have lost some of our comrades to other endeavours, it is time we pull together to rebuild the party, draw new strength and march towards our desired destination. That way, some of our party members, who left, will see reasons to come back and be part of the redemption mission in the state.
“It is a fact that the strength and acceptability of our party cannot be measured by temporary setbacks. Our grassroots support is massive and remains unshaken. Majority of party members have confidence in the leadership and have remained steadfast knowing that the future is bright.”
According to him, “Our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has taken a number of steps to steer the party in a more proactive direction. My least expectation is that other leaders rally round him. I am personally committed to this rebuilding process. I acknowledge the fact that it will entail some sacrifice and inconvenience but surgery for your own good comes with certain degree of pains.
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“Rebuilding the party and putting her back on winning ways means we must do some things differently and in a more definite manner. It will require humility to listen to each other and understand the perspective of others. However, we can never remove our eyes from the ball. It will mean adopting new systems, and in some cases, a different approach in the party such that they can withstand storms and hiccups.”
The former House of Representatives member called for concerted efforts in charting the way forward for the party ahead of next year’s general election.
He said, “In the days ahead, together with our candidates, I will join all well meaning leaders of the party to take critical, strategic, unifying and inspiring actions to lift and galvanise the spirit and morale of the people.
“We shall go from LGA to LGA and ward-to-ward listening to you, sharing your aspirations and working together to achieve our common vision. These engagements will be robust and it will be all about our party and our state.
“I am aware that our governorship candidate is taking urgent steps to propel the party to new enviable heights. I will encourage him and stand with him in this mission.”
Peterside further said: “I plan to work with other leaders and stakeholders of the party in Rivers State to start a massive grassroots mobilisation programme for our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and our vice presidential candidate, His Excellency, Kashim Shettima.”
He thanked those who had left, for their previous roles in the party, but stated, “This is not unusual at the end of any political transition, as people are free to exercise their democratic right in a multiparty democracy. Change is the only permanent feature in life. Our doors remain open to them should they decide to return.
“Let me advise my party members to respect the choices people make, for therein lies our humanity. Lack of respect for individual choices has, in the recent past, contributed to the tension we face as a people from time to time. People resign or defect for different reasons. I personally respect their choices, same way I expect them to respect our own choice to remain. “Remaining or leaving the party does not in any way confer moral superiority on any of us, nor does it make us more or less patriotic. Our state needs all men of goodwill who are builders and not destroyers, irrespective of party differences.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to APC, reiterating his philosophy of “greater together.”
