The National Coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party National Youth Frontier (PDP NYF), Comrade Usman Austin Okai on Saturday expressed disappointment over the conduct of the party leadership and their inability to factor in every group and interest group before the national convention in Port-Harcourt.
In a statement on Saturday signed by the 32-year old Kogi State born politician, he described what happened in Port-Harcourt as a show of shame and display of selfishness of the highest order by leaders of the party, led by the PDP governors.
Okai accused the PDP governors of manipulating the party’s zoning arrangement, while ignoring all voices of reason.
“It is unfortunate that the party that has suffered the highest defeat ever refuses to learn from its past mistakes. Rather the PDP is beclouded with personal agenda against the party’s interests. It is obvious that the elders are not in any way living by example and we the youths may have no option than to mobilize youths across the federation and diaspora to take over the running of the party”, he said.
Okai maintained that none of the factions of party was carrying youths in the party along even though the youths constitute well over 70% of the membership of PDP.
“Is it not a shame that the youths have been reduced to puppets in the party? All the factions are concerned about power-sharing. They are sidelining the young people who constitute well over 70% of the party’s members. They set up a Caretaker Committee today in Port-Harcourt full of old men. They didn’t even have the decency of having youth representation. Where is that done? Only in PDP!”
Okai blamed the PDP governors for forcing Sheriff on the party in the first place, noting that the party’s leaders, chiefly the governors were warned but insisted on Sheriff for selfish reasons.
“We were told that Modu Sheriff is coming to destroy the PDP and that is exactly what is happening. We will also not absolve Professor Jerry Gana and his team from the blame because they also contributed to the ongoing fracas. They created the vacuum in the party that led to the emergence of Sheriff. They are all failures.
“On behalf of the over 7 million youth members of the PDP across Nigeria, we are using this medium to issue a stern warning and put the various elders and leadership(s) of the party on notice. If this reign of impunity, corruption, disorderliness and mediocrity continues in PDP, we will have no choice but to takeover the party and drive it in the right direction. You can fool the people sometimes, but you can’t fool them all the time.”
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