Jonathan says Supreme Court verdict will bring back PDP

• Wike says PDP come back to power 2019
• Ishaku describes verdict as victory for democracy and decency

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described Sen. Ahmed Makarfi’s victory on People Democratic Party (PDP) leadership tussle at the Supreme Court on Wednesday as verdict that would bring PDP together.
Jonathan stated this on Wednesday on his tweeter handle in his reaction to the court judgment on the party’s leadership crisis.
The Supreme Court in Abuja on Wednesday set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt that affirmed Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff as PDP National Chairman.
Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, who read the judgment of the five-man panel, declared the Makarfi-led caretaker committee as the authentic leadership organ of the party.
Jonathan, who commended the Supreme Court judgment, said “I thank God for this day of justice and may God bless Nigeria.
“I believe in our jurists. We may have issues with some individuals but the Nigerian judiciary deserves respect and commendation.
“Today’s verdict is a judgment where there are no winners or losers. It is a verdict that will bring our party together.’’
He congratulated the Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee, adding that “I strongly urge them not to see this as victory for a section of the party but as moral victory for constitutionality over arbitrariness.
“Thus, they must take inspiration from Gen. Yakubu Gowon and declare a ‘no victor and no vanquished policy’.
“I hereby call on all those who left the party because of leadership issues to return to their natural home and build the PDP.’’
He added that the PDP was an inclusive vehicle, not an exclusive one, saying “we see Nigerians as human beings deserving of the rule of law, separation of power and free market economy that provides level playing ground for all.
“The party that gave Nigeria the largest economy in Africa is a party with large heart enough to find a place for all Nigerians.”
Similarly, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will in 2019. He said this would be easy as the APC had unleashed untold hardship on Nigerians.
Addressing thousands of Rivers PDP supporters at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Wednesday after the Supreme Court Judgment that validated the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, Governor Wike said that the APC’s poor governance had led to mass insecurity across the country and the collapse of the standard of living.
He berated the Federal Government and APC for plotting to destroy the opposition. He said without opposition, there was no democracy.
“We have tested them for two years and Nigerians are suffering. Nigerians are dying and there is insecurity everywhere. It has never been like this. This opposition will lead us to power in 2019.
“Now, we have a government and we have a party that says there will be no opposition. If there is no opposition, there will be no democracy”, he said.
He called on Nigerians to pray for the nation’s judiciary as it was facing its most perilous times as it was under threat and intimidation.
“We owe them the duty to pray for them. What the judiciary is going through, no other arm of government has ever gone through it. Without judiciary, Nigeria is gone, without judiciary, there is no democracy “, he said.
The governor said that Nigerians from all walks of life were celebrating the Supreme Court Judgment and thanking God that PDP was not dead.
“All Nigerians are thanking God that PDP is not dead. The PDP is the only hope for the people”, he said.
He urged PDP supporters to stand firm and continue to work for the growth of the party.
“God has come out to rescue Rivers State and PDP. Nobody can intimidate us”, the governor said.
Also, Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, on Wednesday described the verdict of the Supreme Court which affirmed Senator Ahmed Makarfi as the authentic chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party as a victory for democracy and decency.
The governor in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Emmanuel Bello, said there were no winners or losers in the entire episode.
He said, “There is no victor or no vanquished. We had disagreements which are healthy in any organisation and the Supreme Court resolved the matter.”
Ishaku, who has been in the forefront of reconciliation within the PDP, often hosting meetings of PDP governors, said that the end of hostilities in the party would bring peace and progress.
The governor urged everyone to come together and work for the advancement of the party, stressing that the verdict has resolved all the knotty issues.
“Let me urge all of us party faithful to come together and work for the party. After all, we all want the best for our party. This is the opportunity we all have been waiting for to forge ahead with the goals of our party’s”, he stated.
By Wole Tokede with agency reports