• Vows to resist turning Nigeria into one-party state

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has confirmed Senator Adolphus Wabara and former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, as the chairman and secretary of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT).

The BoT has also vowed to reposition the party and make sure that the country does not slide into a one-party state.

Speaking at the opening of the 76th meeting of the board at the party headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, the newly confirmed BoT chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said the members, in alliance with other stakeholders, were ready to revamp the party because "if PDP goes under, definitely democracy will go under in Nigeria."

He said the BoT would hit the ground running to address all the issues confronting the party since all the judgements have come and gone.

He also told members and other stakeholders at the meeting that one of the problems of the party was the inability to take necessary actions at the right time.

"Some people are blaming us for not taking disciplinary action on time and, of course, that has always been the bane of the party. We look at faces before we take action. But some of us, especially the BoT, are always objective.

"Anything that goes outside our constitution will create problems; we should strictly abide by our constitution. Follow the law, the rules and our constitution religiously, and we cannot fail," he added.

In his remarks, the acting national chairman of the party, Ambassador Umar Damagum, reminded the BoT members that, "the task of rebuilding this party extends beyond the NWC. We are all stakeholders, and wherever you find yourself, you don't have to wait for the NWC to speak up to protect the party; it is a collective responsibility."

Among those present at the meeting were former governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Emeka Ihedioha (Imo), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Senator Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) and Donald Duke (Cross River).