Abuja - The PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, has called on the party`s leadership in the south-west to embrace dialogue and the spirit of discipline to help move the party forward.
He made the call on Thursday in Abuja at a meeting of the PDP South West Board of Trustees (BoT), organised to reconcile aggrieved party members in the region.
Tukur who described the meeting as ``a dream come true’’ charged party members in the region to also evolve ways of making the party stronger ahead of 2015.
He said while the recent merging of four major opposition parties in the country was not an issue, it was still a challenge to the PDP.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four parties recently merged to form the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The parties are Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and All Nigerian Peoples` Party (ANPP).
``The big challenge which our leaders and members in the south-west has to address squarely is that we should not dissipate our energy quarrelling.
``We should use our energies to come together and build as we have done before. ‘’ Tukur said.
He urged the party`s leaders to remain focused and committed and to call for dialogue where there was conflict.
The chairman further said he would soon embark on a tour of the six states in the region because of the respect he has for the people of the south-west,
Earlier, Shuaib Oyedokun, a party stalwart in the region, had in his opening remarks noted that the south-west was a melting point in the country`s politics.
``It can be a `bleeding point’ if care is not taken. If this is allowed to happen, it will affect the entire country,’’ he said.
Oyedokun said the meeting was not to foster personal interest, castigate anyone or usurp the powers of the PDP zonal working committee.
``The meeting was convened to confront the party`s daily challenges across the country and in the south-west particularly,’’ he said.
Oyedokun assured that the party`s leadership in the south-west would ensure that there was peace in the region and other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, another party chieftain, Olabode Geoge who gave the keynote address at the meeting, decried the present state of the south-west and Yorubas generally.
He however said the situation could be salvaged.
``There are no easy solutions. There is no magic wand anywhere. Our collective salvation dwells within us all.
``We must look through the precedents of our founding fathers and the defining examples of our tradition for a lasting solution to our present confrontations,’’ he said.
The meeting, which had the theme ``Yoruba nation: the last road to victory’’, was attended by past south-west governors, serving and past senators and notable political leaders in the region.
NAN