One of the chairmanship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party, Conrad Utaan, on Friday, lamented the economic hardship in the country, saying Nigerians are deeply yearning for the return of the opposition party.
Utaan disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting with the PDP North Central Caucus and Zonal Working Committee in Abuja.
The PDP chieftain further expressed concerns that there is hardly any household in Nigeria, which is not feeling the hardship brought about by President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.
The opposition party had been in power for 16 years before it was ousted by the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2015 after former Goodluck Jonathan lost to the then APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.
Utaan, however, warned that a dream return to the top in 2027 can only happen if the PDP successfully resolves its leadership and internal crisis.
He said, “In Nigeria today, the prices of foodstuff, fuel, transport, accommodation, and school fees are on the rise. As we talk, there are many people whose children have not returned to school this term because they can’t pay.
“Many middle class have dropped out of work because what they are earning cannot transport them to work and back. They would rather stay back home and look for something to do than continue wasting their time. Nigerians are yearning and crying for PDP to return.
“This can only be done if we put our house in order. That is all we require. Once we can do this, the 2027 election is ours to win. This is the period to rebuild and as an engineer, I promise to fix it if the seat of the PDP national chairman is ceded to the North Central.”
The chairmanship aspirant also raised some concerns about the defection of PDP members loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the Action People’s Party barely two weeks after the Rivers local government election.
While stating that the crisis rocking the state is a reflection of the polity, Utaan begged the National Executive Committee of the party to consider returning the seat of the PDP national chairmanship to the North Central following the exit of Iyorchia Ayu.
“What is happening in Rivers State is a reflection of what is happening in the country. It is quite unfortunate. The problem of Rivers is an internal one; the solution will also come from the state. What is happening in Rivers is yet to fester. It will also rear its ugly head in other PDP states in Nigeria.
“As you already know, the party that is in government is paraded by criminally inclined people. They even created a crisis in the party to the extent that they could go on a charade in the next round of the elections. It is quite unfortunate. But again, we cannot force decisions on people.
“The crisis in Rivers PDP can only be resolved when our leaders are ready to address it. If you look at the bigwigs and chieftains in the party, they either belong to one camp or the other. But it will take someone without baggage and ego to go to his knees to beg them to return to the roundtable to bring about a lasting solution to the problem,” he stated.
The immediate past Publicity Secretary of Benue PDP, Bemgba Iortyom, also shared his sentiment.
While cautioning that the focus should be on the reconciliation of party bigwigs, Iortyom also drummed support for Utaan’s candidacy.
He said, “For now, we should be talking of reuniting our bigwigs, not lampooning them. These are respected stakeholders who have been together for a long in this party. We will not be joining the PDP governors in the blame game. When it comes to the chairmanship of the PDP, I believe Utaan has the edge.
“He is not coming with any baggage associated with being a former governor or lawmaker. His number one aim is reconciliation. Utaan is coming in as a clean and fresh candidate. To that extent, he has been able to bring about peace in the various ranks of the party in the North Central. We believe he can help restore peace in Rivers State if he is allowed to replace Umar Damugum.”
