In a bid to reposition itself ahead of 2019 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday, inaugurated a 53- man committee to rebrand it.
Chairman of the African Independent Television, (AIT) Dr Raymond Dokpesi will lead the team saddled with the responsibility to help the main opposition party sustain its democratic ideals.
The acting National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, who spoke at the event in Abuja, stated next Thursday has been chosen for the party stakeholders conference, which was earlier put on hold to enable the national working committee of the party receive the report of post-election review panel headed by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
The acting national chairman further noted that the stakeholders conference was imperative as the events of the last six months of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) administration indicate a palpable fear that the gains of democracy achieved by the erstwhile ruling party was under threat.
Secondus said: “This national conference is meant to fashion out strategy that would help PDP sustain democratic ideals while in opposition, hence the choice of the conference theme, “PDP and the Sustece of Democratic Ideals in Nigeria”.
Secondus told the gathering of the party chieftains that the idea behind the national conference was driven from the PDP Constitution, as the objective was to use it for reconciliation, mobilisation and as a means of educating critical stakeholders of the party on the reform programmes being pursued by the national leadership.
He further assured the party faithful that his leadership was determined to restore internal democracy ahead of 2019 general elections and sustain the gains of democracy.
“The conference can be used to re-engineer the ideals, core values and principles of the PDP, as bequeathed to us by our founding fathers,” he stated.
Dokpesi in his acceptance speech, promised members and assured the party leadership that his team was committed to ensuring that the desire of the party was achieved through the conference.
Former Senate President and deputy senate president, Senators Ken Nnamani and Ibrahim Mantu are members of the committee.