The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmed Makarfi, has said the former ruling party is working hard to salvage Nigeria from hunger.
Makarfi spoke at his meeting with former ministers produced by the party in Abuja on Monday.
The meeting was one of the moves being undertaking by the national caretaker committee since the party became factionalised.
Makarfi also denied the allegations doing the rounds that his group was planning to change the name of the party with the inauguration of a committee on inter-party affairs.
The former governor of Kaduna State said that the party was determined to “capture power in 2019.”
Makarfi said, “We have met with the members of the Board of Trustees of our party, governors, former governors, state chairmen and other interest groups in our party.
“We therefore felt that we should meet with all interest groups and that’s why we are having this meeting.
“You are aware of the setting up of a committee as a number of you are members of the committee known as Inter-Party.
“Some people are giving different meanings that we are changing the name of the party, we are doing this and that.
“They don’t know how democracy functions. The ultimate is how we are going to capture power in 2019.
“By doing so, you can’t remain in captivity, remain in one place. But if people (opposition) don’t know how to come at you, they are confused.
“We are working on how to take Nigerians out of the shackles of poverty and hunger.
“We are concerned with how to rescue the nation. We will continue to do that. We won’t give up. “
He said the party had taken some decisions by zoning the presidency to the North and the chairmanship of the party to the South.
“What remains is how to strategise about how to achieve this,” he added.
Makarfi said the decision to give the caretaker committee a one-year extension in Port Harcourt in August was a right decision.
He said he was sure that before the period expires, the Supreme Court would have settled the case before it.
“Now, we are in the Supreme Court. That is an achievement. Hopefully, before the end of the year, we should be able to resolve this crisis,” Markafi said.
The Chairman of the former Ministers’ Forum and a former Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Taminu Turaki (SAN), said the former ministers would work with the caretaker committee.
He said, “We have to work together to free the party from the shackles of enemies of progress.”
“We want to know what you (caretaker committees) are doing. If you need our support, we want to know and also know the kind of support you need so that our party can move to the next level, especially as the journey towards 2019 is becoming stormy.
“We are delighted to have this meeting, which is long overdue. We will remain resolute to make sure that the PDP is giving support to continue to nurture democracy.
“We may be out of office, we may be seen to be out of ground, but we are not out. The PDP will work to salvage Nigeria from hunger, unemployment and all that.”
He added, “Nigerians should wait for us, we are coming back soon.”
The meeting was attended by more than 20 former ministers including Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Hajia Ina Ciroma, Sule Lamido and Prof. Taoheed Adedoja.
