The newly appointed Acting National Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon (Arc) Setonji Koshoedo, has said that he is going to commit his stay in office to translating the reunification and rebuilding agenda of the National Working Committee (NWC) to reality through all the critical organs of the party.
Hon. Koshoedo said that having been part of the NWC before his elevation as the party’s scribe, he knew the vision of the NWC under the leadership of the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Ilya Damagun, and he would follow suit to bring everyone together as one united family to re-present PDP as a strong and reliable party again.
He said he would not jettison the plans of the National Working Committee, but rather consolidate it by energising all structures down to the grassroots level to make PDP play its role as the main opposition party in the country.
The new Acting National Secretary made the remarks while responding to enquiries from journalists in Ibadan during commissioning of a project by Oyo State Governor, H.E. Engr. Seyi Makinde.
Hon. Koshoedo, who was the party’s Deputy National Secretary, was named the acting National Secretary after the National Working Committee’s meeting on Tuesday 14th November, 2023.
He expressed deep appreciation to his colleagues in the NWC for approving his elevation to the office of the Acting National Secretary in line with the dictates of the party’s constitution.
“I’m very humbled by the confidence reposed in me by the distinguished leaders in the National Working Committee who approved my appointment to act as the National Secretary. I am conscious of everyone’s expectation, from the NWC to our other leaders across board, and I feel personally challenged to live up to these expectations and not disappoint the party”, he said.
On his plans for the party, the new Acting National Secretary said he would work together with his colleagues in the National Working Committee to recover and rejuvenate the party from its current discouraging situation no matter how short or long his tenure in his new office might be.
Koshoedo mentioned that it had always been the resolve of the NWC to take the necessary steps to reposition and rebuild the party along with all other stakeholders. He said that some decisions critical to the party’s wellbeing had been taken and he could only align and start implementing them in earnest.
According to him, the long wait for the outcomes of the Presidential Election Tribunal cases up to the Supreme Court was the reason the NWC had had to slow down on some crucial initiatives for rebuilding the party, and now that the party has put that behind, members could expect very positive and progressive actions from the NWC.
The PDP scribe in his comments said that restoring the image of the party, which had been so much bashed in recent times, is very important to the Acting National Chairman and the entire NWC members, so we have all agreed on some immediate steps to be taken towards boosting the image of the party.
He assured PDP members across the nation that the party would soon be brought back into the consciousness of Nigerians as the party of choice. Hon Kosh, as fondly called among friends, informed the press that the NWC is planning to empower the party’s publicity department to not only start showcasing the strengths and inherent opportunities of our serving governors and elected officers, but to also start playing the key roles of a formidable opposition by becoming a virile and objective critic of the sitting government while proffering possible solutions to the problems of Nigeria.
In playing the role, the Acting national Secretary said the Peoples Democratic Party will not hesitate to always suggest necessary reviews or amendments in the nation’s Policy Documents, Constitution and the Electoral Laws in its quest to lead public discourse in the march towards good governance in the country.
The Acting National Secretary said the party’s National Working Committee is also considering opening its arms to other political parties that may be interested to collaborate or merge with it to build a stronger political party for the betterment of the country’s democracy.
While promising on behalf of the National Working Committee that serious and urgent steps towards reconciliation of aggrieved members shall be taken, Hon. Koshoedo who was at one time a member of the House of Representatives with vast experience in party management, having been the Chairman of Lagos State Chapter and a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in the past, reiterated that the emerging Peoples Democratic Party would require amity, cooperation and oneness of purpose among members of the party to save Nigeria.
He therefore appealed to all members who had either defected or were sitting on the fence to return to the party, and present their suggestions and opinions through the windows that will be provided by the NWC to rejuvenate and reposition the party for the greater good of the nation.
He concluded by expressing his wish that all members will cooperate with the NWC for the journey of reformation ahead.
