Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Deputy Chairman, Chief Olabode George has said crisis in the main opposition party may persist due to the ambition of certain chieftains.

He said their ‘personalised ambition’ is tearing the fold apart and constituting an obstacle to genuine reconciliation.

George said: “Elders of the party have to come into the room to resolve the personalised ambitions of people. That is what is killing our party.”

The retired commodore said the founding fathers of PDP, led by the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, put ethnicity and religion aside while laying its foundation.

George recalled that by dividing Nigeria into six zones and distributing the top six positions in the country among them, the party fostered inclusion and a sense of belonging.

The positions are president, vice president, senate president, house of representatives speaker, secretary to the government of federation and national party chairman.

He feared that holding on to personal ambition may create problems of marginalisation and exclusion.

George, who also reflected on the state of the nation, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to restructure the country to foster true federalism.

He called for state police, saying that if policemen who handled the recent protest were drawn from the environment, they would have spotted the hoodlums, isolated them from legitimate protesters and prevented looting and violence.

The former military governor of Ondo State also advised Tinubu to speed up economic revitalisation to enable Nigerians to heave a sigh of relief from hardship.

George told reporters in Lagos that the 1999 Constitution is grossly defective, urging the president to accord priority to review.

He alluded to the 2014 National Conference, which produced a report that can serve as a guide on constitutional amendment.

George said: “There is a concluded report of the National Conference from former President Goodluck Jonathan sent to former President Muhammadu Buhari. President Tinubu should retrieve it.

“What is the business of the president with councils in Lagos and Sokoto? States in a federation are not the same.

“In New York, the Mayor controls the airport. Tinubu should be bold enough to restructure and refix the country.”

Stressing the need for state police, he added: “Divisional Police Officer (DPO) knows the bad boys in the neighbourhood. He understands the language of the people. Every state police is local. It makes intelligence gathering easier.”

George attributed the economic stagnation to the past nefarious activities of bank operators, who indulged in round-tripping and abuse of the exchange rate, saying that they should not be spared.

He urged Central Bank Governor Yemi Cardoso, the son of an accountant, to replicate the efficiency of his illustrious father in the financial system.

George urged the president to resolve the electricity crisis in the interest of manufacturing, the informal sector and productivity.

He said: “Nigeria had 18 gas turbines when Obasanjo was in power. Millions of naira are spent on electricity. How can the informal sector survive?”

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dissolved the Benue State Executive Committee chaired by Sir John Ngbede.

The party, in a letter to the former chairman signed by the National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, said the dissolution followed the expiration of his tenure.

Bature also disclosed plans by the national leadership to set up a caretaker committee for the chapter.

The letter reads: “This is to formally notify you of the expiration of the tenure of the current State Executive Committee of our Party in Benue State, having being elected four  years ago, that is, August 8, 2024.

“This expiration is due to effluxion of time, pursuant to Section (47) of the Party’s Constitution.

“Please, note that to avoid creating vacuum, the National Working Committee (NWC) has rescived to constitute a fresh State Caretaker Committee for your State.”

Last week, the dissolved committee suspended former Governor Samuel Ortom for one month.

Also, former Benue PDP Publicity Secretary Chief Bemgba Iortyom announced the suspension of Ortom’s predecessor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, from the party.

Credit: thenationonlineng.net