The PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, said on Tuesday that the party would collaborate with African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa to tackle continental and global challenges.
Tukur said this when he led a delegation of the ANC to a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Addressing State House Correspondents after the closed-door meeting, Tukur said the two parties would synergise to better the lot of the citizens of both countries and Africa in general.
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“ANC is a grassroots party like PDP; so we have so many things in common, because our party is well-grounded; we start from home, we go to ward, local government, to state, to region, and to the centre.
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“It is all-involving; it is all-inclusive; and that is what also makes ANC to be acceptable to their own leadership. Likewise, PDP is the biggest and strongest here. We want to see the synergy between us (PDP and ANC); we want to support what is happening, to create employment,? fulfill needs in terms of what our manifesto encouraged; education, health, agriculture and so on.”??
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Tukur said the PDP was concerned about the growing insecurity in the country and was doing all things within the limit allowed for a political party to address the problems.
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“We are very concerned about growing insecurity, but political parties are not security organisations. Whatever happens concerns us; so, right from the ward level, the home and we are not happy.
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“So security organisations who are there to primarily protect, am sure are doing what they are supposed to do. Our’s is to ensure that our members are sensitised to be security-conscious.
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“We are also encouraging them to give useful information that can help bring these miscreants to book.’’
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?Speaking in same vein, the Treasurer General of ANC, Mr. Mathews Phosa, said the purpose of their visit was to further strenghten the relationship between the ANC and the PDP.
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“Nigeria and South Africa are very important African countries although there are others too; but the two countries united together will make a serious contribution towards certain direction of the continent
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“It is important that we continue to encourage the relationship between the ANC and the PDP. It does not start today, it was there before and we are just building on an existing structure.
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“The important issues in the world require that we collaborate at the political level so that we can be focus, advise one another in the AU in the UN and any other bodies over the continent.
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“We have challenges in the continent, which we need to confront together; so, the PDP and ANC want to work together and we are here to strengthen the relationship.’’
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Phosa maintained that internal misunderstandings within a political party were usual and had the capacity to deepen democracy, if properly resolved. (NAN)