Okowa who gave this charge at the Special Non-Elective National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), held at Eagle Square, Abuja, said that Nigeria was currently at a cross road.
He said, “Our emphasis must be about building a party focused on fashioning a better society founded on the principles of fairness, equity and justice.”
Recounting the trying period of the party, which, he described as a wilderness experience, Okowa, said that the loss of the 2015 presidential election, the gale of defections that ensued and the leadership crisis that factionalised the party were enough to sink the PDP ship.
He noted that the party’s survival of the baptism of fire was an eloquent testimony to the resilience of its grassroots structure, organisation and appeal and described PDP as a party firmly anchored to the grassroots, connected to the people in a unique way that recognises that power truly belongs to them (people).
Governor Okowa said, “We are rebounding back. We must realise that there is a champion in each and every one of us in the party and that a collective leadership and partnership, resolved to do things right is all that we need to build the strength to recapture power”.
He noted that the party cut short the hopes of Nigerians with its failure to manage their success and added that the party’s travail of the last two years was divinely ordained chastisement for the pitfall and averred that two major lessons were learnt at the party’s wilderness experience as it gave them the opportunity to look inwards and do some soul- searching, which gave them the marvellous opportunity of understanding themselves better, identifying their mistakes, suffering the painful consequences of defeat and learning the lesson of a lifetime.
In his words, “The wilderness experience has refined us, sharpened us and made us stronger. Like the saying goes, “sometimes you have to go through the wilderness before you get to the Promised Land.”
Okowa noted that the second advantage of the party’s wilderness experience offered Nigerians the opportunity of experiencing another party govern them at the national level and added that they can now compare and contrast.
According to him, “As leaders, we must read the times and take responsibility. We must condition our hearts for a new beginning. We must root out the past mistakes and model the right attitudes. It is time for self re-examination and a return to what is right.”
“To build a solid team, we must be warm and inviting; the love for impunity and exclusion must cease. There must be integrity and discipline in our democratic system at all levels of party governance, and we must put to fore, those things that add value to the growth of our party,” he admonished.
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