As the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gets set to name a new chairman on Wednesday, one of the key contestants to the office, Wilberforce Juta, said the young generation
of members seeking to take over the reign of leadership should still allow the “old brigade” to correct the mistakes made which led to the failure of the party in the 2015 election.
In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Abuja, Mr. Juta, a founding member of the PDP and former governor of defunct Gongola State, said he was asked to come and help rebuild the party.
Q: Many people outside the PDP may not know who Ambassador Juta is. Can you give us a brief biography?
A: I come from Maiha Local Government in Adamawa State and I am about 71 years old; very strong still, doing so many things.
I was one of the founding fathers of the PDP in 1998 when Abdulasalami (Abubakar) lifted the ban on politics. I was one of the G34, that is the great people who started the PDP in 1998.
When the PDP was established, I became the first national vice chairman for north east. I remained the national vice chairman until 1999 when we won the election and then President (Olusegun) Obasanjo decided to send me to Zimbabwe as Nigeria’s High commissioner there.
I was recalled in 2003 and the same Obasanjo sent me to NDDC, representing the north east. I voluntarily resigned from the NDDC, but I have been a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP since then, holding many other responsibilities
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