Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Walid Jibrin, has said the party would not accept any proposal from any political group for the change of its slogan and symbol, the Umbrella.
In a statement issued in Kaduna Monday, Senator Jibrin said the BOT of the party will stand resolutely against the persecution of its members, including former governor in the name of fighting corruption.
He spoke on a day Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Babayo Gamawa, said that the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration has failed Nigerians by not fulfilling the campaign promises it made in 2015.
Jibrin said, “The BOT is ever ready to stand against any plot to frame PDP leaders including serving governors, past ministers, past governors and all members.
“Please keep the umbrella and our slogan power to the people very intact,” he added while congratulating the national chairman of the party “for working hard towards making the party stable.”
He said members of the new BOT have not been constituted because the party wanted to meet with the requirement in the amended Constitution of the party.
Jibrin said the process of adopting the amendment, which empowers every state of the federation and the FCT to legitimately have one person representing them and five members from each of the six zones in the BOT, was about to be concluded.
According to him, he is working very hard with the state chairmen and “our six national vice chairmen in order to bring forth very able, responsible, experienced and respected members into BOT.
“Once the exercise is concluded the new BOT members and already existing members will now be inaugurated,” he stated.
He said he is not in a hurry to call for a BOT meeting now without successfully concluding the exercise that will ginger in new members of the BOT who shall be the conscience of the party.
“Bringing in new members with high knowledge of the party, well experienced, able and men and women of high integrity stocked with honour and integrity should never be done in a hurry. Please bear with me, we are unlike other parties without BOT,” he said.
The BOT chairman thanked leaders of the party including governors, national and state assembly members, state chairmen, elders, women, youth, former ministers, former governors, and all forums “for making out party proud and darling of Nigerians.”
Meanwhile, Senator Babayo Gamawa, Deputy National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has, said that the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration has failed Nigerians by not fulfilling the campaign promises it made in 2015.
Babayo, who stated this Monday an interview with newsmen in Bauchi, said from education, health-care, infrastructure to economic diversification, human capacity development, values and ethics, the government has performed low, adding that financial probity, anti-corruption war, unemployment and security have not been properly addressed.
He said: “You are a Nigerian, ask the electorates if there is any change they have witnessed in their area. Ask them whether the present administration has been able to bring social services to the people like good roads, hospitals, water and so on.
“The recent abduction of 110 girls at a school in Dapchi, Yobe State, confirmed the ruling party has a lot to do in the fight against insurgency in the North East. Initially, they said when PDP leave power, they will wipe out Boko Haram, but today are Boko Haram not around?
”They are still around. Today, we are also witnessing what did not take place during the PDP regime. What you read on the pages of the newspapers are series of kidnappings, assassinations and all manner of criminal activities.”
On the allegation that the PDP government was responsible for the hardship of Nigerians, Babayo, who was former speaker of Bauchi House of Assembly and deputy governor of the state, said virtually all the social amenities Nigerians were enjoying today were built by PDP administration and not the APC government.
“Check the schools that your children are going if it was built by PDP administration. Check the markets and other infrastructures like water supply, rural electrification, all of them were built by PDP when we were in power, so where is the change they are talking about”
“All the institutions that are fighting corruption in the country like EFCC, ICPC , code of conduct were created by the PDP. What have they brought to the people at least to improve their living condition,” he said.