Akwa Ibom State Governor and chairman of PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Mr Udom Emmanuel, on Thursday, night, played host to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, in a private visit at the Government House, Uyo.
Interacting with journalists after the meeting, Governor Emmanuel said the leadership of the party was open to dialogue with the G-5 governors, assuring all party faithful that the reconciliation of some of its aggrieved governors would see the party coast to victory in next year’s general elections.
Describing all the PDP governors as brothers who show mutual respect for one another, Governor Emmanuel noted that aside participating in the campaign train, all the PDP governors were intact, working towards the interest of the party.
“We all came in as a family, whether you like it or not these are brothers even in the parable of the lost sheep in the Bible only one sheep got missing and Jesus Christ left the rest and went after that one, how much more when you have brothers that are up to five.
“You turn around on a campaign platform you don’t see them, suddenly you will feel you need them, these are people you started together, I think I still feel empty that we are all not together on a campaign platform but when it comes to governance we are all together and we have mutual respect for each other.
“We listened to each other and we try to look at the way forward and I want to believe it is getting to that point where sacrifices must be made so that there can be peace.
“someone like me I am pursuing peace and I want peace to reign and once we can achieve that, our party will coast to victory”, the governor said.
He added: “Governor Ortom made a statement and I am sure you listened to him. I agree one hundred percent with him. We are ready to make peace and I can assure our party that these are governors who have structures, and something to show, these are governors who have capacity.
“We will do everything possible to put the house together on the 2023 campaigns, but when it comes to governance we are still as intact as ever”.
Earlier, the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom said the G-5 governors of PDP were still with the party, but expressed their displeasure over the leadership of the party’s inability to deploy its conflict resolution mechanism to resolve the internal grievances in the party.
Governor Ortom pointed out that dialogue remained key towards accommodating the interest of the party stalwarts, adding that the aggrieved governors never turned their back on dialogue and reconciliation, but only wanted terms that accommodated their interests.
Read him: “We were not happy with the national leadership of our party as it had not been able to deploy its conflict resolution mechanism to solve the internal problems and grievances that we have.
“Governor Udom is one of us, he is a governor like the rest of us, and in politics, dialogue is key towards resolving conflicts and problems that may arise as a result of conventions or congresses.
“Talking to each other will definitely strengthen the fortunes of the party ,and politics as you know, is a game of interest with no permanent enemy or permanent friend, but permanent interest.
“We have never said we have turned our back on dialogue and reconciliation, if the terms are met, why not, we will work if it fits in our own interest”, he added, insisting that disregarding them despite their respective huge support bases, was not the best solution.”
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