Members of the ‘Fresh PDP’ on Saturday willingly dissolved the recalcitrant group after a marathon meeting with some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Led by one Chief Olukayode Akindele, the group agreed to drop its decision to create a breakaway faction of the opposition party and pledged loyalty to the Uche Secondus-led PDP.
The decision was reached after a peace meeting held at the Abuja residence of a former National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.
Notable among those present at the meeting were – a member of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Stella Omu and the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan.
Besides Akindele, other members of the Fresh PDP at the meeting were – Duru Ihuoma and Franklyne Edederan – who lost out at the party’s December 9 convention.
The Fresh PDP had in December, opened its parallel secretariat in Abuja to register its dissatisfaction with the outcome of the convention.
The group also renounced its plans to inaugurate a separate national executive committee on January 22.
Speaking after the meeting, Nwodo said the reconciliatory process enjoyed the backing of the national leadership of the party and the BoT.
According to him, no conditions were given by the group for agreeing to dissolve itself, stressing that members were enthusiastic youths that would be useful to the PDP in the 2019 elections.
Also speaking after the meeting, Ologbondiyan declared that the group’s grievances had been addressed and that the PDP remained united across the country and in the diaspora.
Nwodo described the disbandment of the group as the best gift the PDP can give to Nigerians, saying, “a lot of people thought our house was divided and was about to cascade down.”
“But we want to assure you that by God’s mercy, and internal reconciliation capacity of the PDP, the cracks that you noticed have been completely sealed off.”
Akindele said his members were forced to break away due to acts of impunity in the party.
He said: “But the issue of impunity and imposition had forced us into this situation because in PDP we don’t have any mechanism to address it. We have a mechanism for reconciliation. Reconciliation is when you have a dispute.”
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