Ex-President Jonathan assures PDP will bounce back

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would resolve the crisis that engulfed it and come out stronger.

Jonathan expressed the optimism at his country home in Otuoke, Bayelsa when he received the report of the Gov Seriake Dickson-led PDP reconciliation Committee.

He said resorting to courts for political disagreements was abnormal.

He applauded the committee for getting the two factions of the party to the negotiating table and added that a truce was in sight given the commitments so far given by the party faithful.

He noted that there was an urgent need to return the power to the people arguing that litigation had surrendered the mandate of the people to the judiciary.

“I have always believed that political differences should be resolved outside the courts, but unfortunately we are already involved with it and gone up to the Supreme Court, but we are hopeful of a political solution.”

“Party politics is supposed to be a family affair and ought to be resolved amicably without resorting to the courts,” Jonathan said.

Also, Bayelsa state Governor Seriake Dickson said he accepted the challenge of rebuilding the PDP to express gratitude to the party that gave Bayelsa the platform to lead Nigeria through Jonathan.

He said political option remained the best way of resolving the crisis within the party.

He noted that Jonathan laid the foundations for a political solution when he convened a meeting of PDP governors a few weeks ago that approved the peace plan.

He said the report, which is a roadmap to achieving peace was open to review and urged stakeholders with ideas to rebuild the party to table such ideas for discussion.

Speaking earlier, a member of the reconciliation committee Mr Mohammed Gana said Jonathan epitomised peace in the way he conceded defeat at the last general elections, a development that stabilized the country.

Gana applauded Jonathan for his efforts at rebuilding the party and urged party loyalists to support the efforts of the reconciliation committee.