Insecurity: PDP governors pledge to support FG

The People’s Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) has pledged to support the Federal Government to address insecurity and restore peace in troubled areas of the country.

The Chairman of the Forum and Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, said this while briefing newsmen at the end of the forum’s first physical meeting held on Thursday in Abuja.

Tambuwal said that the PDP governors agreed to support the federal government initiatives in ensuring that whatever would re-establish peace in Nigeria, be it discussion, negotiations or kinetic approach.

This is a very productive meeting that review the situation of the country, the security challenges in the country.

“As governors of the PDP, we have agreed and resolved to continue to work with the federal government with the sole aim of reestablishing peace in troubled areas of the federation.

“We must not play politics with security and we must all work together to ensure that we bring back peace in our land.

“So we have agreed to continue to work with the federal government in that regard.”

Tambuwal said that the forum however appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to support state governments in the discharge of their mandates.

“We are appealing to Mr President to reconsider certain measures by bringing more succour and relief to the people of Nigeria.

“He should support state governments in the discharge of their mandate, by making available resources to the States.

“This is important so that we can execute our mandate and ensure that we engender good governance and good condition of living in our respective states throughout the country.”

On PDP, Tambuwal commended the National Working Committee (NWC) initiative for constituting the National Reconciliation Committee to reconcile aggrieved members of the party across the country.

“We have received interim report from that committee. They are doing very well and we are encouraging them to continue in that regard.

“The governor’s forum is going to back their efforts strongly so that we can possibly bring back those members of our party who have left out of anger and certain situations.”

Tambuwal also said that no member of the forum was contemplating of leaving PDP for another party.

“As you can see, most if not all of the governors of the PDP attended this meeting.

“This a very clear statement that no governor of PDP is contemplating leaving the party for any other party.

“We are brothers and we have committed ourselves to the party and to ensure that we continue to deliver on our mandate to the people of our respective states.”

Tambuwal said that the governors also agreed to work together with the NWC of the party to continue with what they started.

On e-registration of members of the party, Tambuwal said the governors appealed to the NWC to immediately set up machinery in motion to actualise it.

He also disclosed that the forum set up three committees on finance, legal matters and legislative interface.

The committee on finance is being led by the forum’s Deputy Chairman and Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River; legislative matters by the governor of Bauchi, Bala Mohammed, and that of legal matters, led by Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers.

On the protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress on alleged plans to move minimum wage from executive to concurrent list, Tambuwal described the accusation by the NLC as misplaced.

He said that no governor advocated for that.

Former Senate President and Chairman, PDP National Reconciliation Committee, Sen. Bukola Saraki, speaking to journalists after the meeting, said the committee briefed the governors on its efforts to reunite the party.

“We briefed them on efforts we have made so far, what we have been able to achieve, our strategy, and how we are going to work together,” he said.

He said that the committee efforts was already yielding positive results.

“We had stakeholders that were not ready working together. Now they’re working together, they are meeting.

“We have states where we have differences. People now are coming together.”

Also in attendance were governors of Abia, Delta, Oyo, Edo, Enugu, Bayelsa, Benue, Zamfara states and deputy governor of Adamawa.