I would like to start by congratulating Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reconciliation team, on the marvellous breakthrough they have achieved in their reconciliation assignment. The news gets better every day, as wereceive reports of their efforts on a daily basis.

At a time it seemed that certain forces in PDPhad written off the efforts of the committee as having been overtaken by events, Dickson held on to his mission as a truly impartial mediator. A team seeking to achieve peace between different factions in disagreement would be shooting itself in the leg if, by any of its actions, it shows itself to be loyal or submissive to any of the factions. Therefore,

Dickson has shown great maturity in trying to navigate the rather complicated turns that the disagreement seems to throw up every now and then. The latest of these was the Appeal Court judgment in favour of Ali Modu Sheriff’s faction.With the clear vision of a statesman required of the assignment given to him, while respecting the judgment by submitting his report to the one whom the court has declared to be the chairman, he did not lose sight of the fact that there are other very important stakeholders in the party. Hence, he also submitted the report to the Makarfi-led faction, as well as the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Party, and other prominent individuals who are members of the party, such as former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.By this action, he has made sure that all the factions and interested parties in the dispute are on the same page, when considering different options for peace, which we assume is the fervent wish of every member of the party.

Let’s face the truth, the only possible hope of the All Progressives Congress (APC) getting re-elected in 2019 is if the PDP remains in turmoil. It will, therefore, not be a surprise if the APC surreptitiously does all it can to ensure that the problem within the PDP is not resolved. Every Nigerian that has been observing the antics of the APC since it came to power will realise thatwe do not have a ‘party in power’. It has become quite evident to a keen observer that the APC is, indeed, in bigger disarray than the PDP, and can hardly be able to get itself together to contest the 2019 elections. This is particularly so because of the fundamental foundational disconnect between the party hierarchy and the machinery of government. Their problem is further escalated by the fact that they are not even willing to admit that they have serious problems within their rank and file: So, how do they hope to solve a problem they won’t even admit they have?

My candid advice to all factions of the PDP is that they should take advantage of the progress made by the Dickson Committee in getting both factions to sit under the same roof, in the same room, to sign a truce. I would advise the BoT to step in boldly, as the custodian of the conscience of the party, while waiting for the judgment of the Supreme Court, to take over from there and chart a path to a lasting peace. This will enable the party to exercise its function as a vibrant opposition, while strategising on measures that will ensure a resounding victory in the 2019 elections, which is practically being handed to them on a platter of gold by the ruling party.

•Engr Cookey, a former member of the Constituent Assembly, was one time governorship candidate in Rivers State.