Former Aviation Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain. Osita Chidoka yesterday warned that the party may go into extinction, if its leaders refuse to embrace reforms.
Chidoka, an ally of PDP presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, spoke on the Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
The former minister said PDP would intensify the criticism of the policies of the Bola Tinubu Administration.
Chidoka said,
“The PDP was in government for 16 years. Its instinct is that of a government party and not that of an opposition party and it has taken us eight years now to begin to realise.
“Now, we are beginning to see that PDP itself needs to be reformed. PDP itself needs to renew itself, reimagine itself to begin to play the role of opposition, knowing full well that we have a politician as President.
“If PDP doesn’t get its act together, it will be an extinct party. So, we need to wake up, smell the coffee, find the kind of leadership that will represent us in an opposition atmosphere and begin to do the work of the opposition, begin to do the work of mobilisation.”
Chidoka said the last four years has taught the PDP that a younger party can displace it from its strongholds.
He said,
“Our last four years have taught us a bitter lesson that a young party can come up and take away PDP strongholds in an election cycle. So, there is much for us to learn as a party and I am hoping that by the time the court cases are over, we can go back to PDP as an opposition party.
“In the 2023 general election, many hitherto strongholds of the PDP were won by the Labour Party, a party which rode on the acceptance of former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, who in less than a year galvanised youths and came third in the February 25, 2023 presidential poll.”
