The Ad Hoc Committee on Reconciliation established by the National Working Committee of the PDP under the able leadership of His Excellency, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, after its inaugural meeting on Thursday July 25th 2013, held its first business session on Friday July 26th 2013.
2. The Committee deliberated on, and appraised its terms of reference and identified strategies for handling this very important assignment of reconciling members and leaders of the party with particular focus on the Party’s chapters in States not presently controlled by the PDP. The Committee appreciates the enormous confidence reposed on its leadership and members. To this end, the Committee shall consult widely especially among the founding fathers of the party as well as leading stakeholders at all levels and across the country.
3. In executing its mandate the Reconciliation Committee therefore, resolved to conduct the exercise with the highest sense of responsibility, commitment to the core values of national unity and party cohesion while upholding individual and collective integrity of the Committee and the members. In order to ensure a smooth and credible reconciliation exercise, the Committee resolved that, its leadership and members shall be guided in the course of executing its mandate by the following, which shall collectively be regarded as the Committee’s Code of Conduct.
3.1. Confidentiality: The Reconciliation Committee’s work shall place
emphasis on utmost confidentiality of all matters brought to it. Members shall, ensure strict confidentiality of all information received by them or such information that may be processed by the Committee, its leadership or any of its organs (as may be established from time to time).
3.2. Strategic Communication: In order to boost the level of confidence among our members nationwide while this Committee undertakes its
assignment, no member shall interact with the media on any matter under consideration by the Committee, except with due approval by the
Committee or its leadership.
3.3 Neutrality: The Reconciliation Committee shall be committed to the
principles of neutrality. To this end, no member of the Committee shall serve in any Congress Committee in a State where such a member is an interested party. Similarly no member of the Committee shall hold any inappropriate meetings or contacts with any party member whose matter is under consideration of the Committee especially as regards to the subject- matter under discussion at the Committee.
3.4 Commitment to the Principles of Fairness: The Committee as a whole and its individual members shall be committed to the principles of
fairness to all parties. All party members to be reconciled shall be guaranteed the right to fair hearing.
4.0 In view of the INEC time-table for the imminent Governorship election in Anambra State, the Committee is conscious of the urgency to reconcile the various factions in the State chapter of the party. Similarly the Committee is concerned about the on-going challenges in the Ekiti State chapter of the party. We therefore accord reconciling party members in these States our top priority for now. Accordingly, we urge all PDP leaders and members in these States in particular, and the country in general, to refrain from all forms of hostilities in order to give the Committee the opportunity to do its work successfully.
5.0. The Committee also seizes this opportunity to call on all patty members at all levels, and irrespective of status, to refrain from comments, remarks, utterances or actions that may inflame tension among party members, and/or overheat the polity. This is important in order to create the needed atmosphere for genuine reconciliation.
Signed
Ambassador Umar Damagum
(Secretary of the Committee)