Crises making PDP lose dominance – Atiku, Sambo

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the February 25, general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has lamented the state of affairs in the party and called for stocktaking towards finding a lasting solution.

This is as a former vice president, Namadi Sambo, said many state chapters of the PDP were enmeshed in crises and called for unity and cooperation to move the party forward.

They spoke yesterday at a reception organised for new and returning governors elected on the PDP platform in Abuja.

Atiku, who noted that the PDP, which started as a major party in 1999, had been losing its dominance, urged its leaders and members to work together to ensure that its position as the leading political party in the country was regained.

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He said, “This is a very important challenge that requires a whole day seminar so that we can, as a party, regain our eminent position in the country.

“We all know that the PDP did not lose the last election. So, we should be determined and focused on retrieving our mandate that has been stolen.”

Sambo on his part said the situation of PDP in some states called for urgent intervention of its national body.

He said, “What is happening in some states today is very unfortunate. I will give an example of Kaduna State. What is happening in Kaduna State today; people are being suspended from the party left, right, and centre without due process.

“I want to seize this opportunity to publicly ask the acting national chairman to look into what is happening in Kaduna State, because all the ingredients for trouble and problems in the party are taking place.”

The party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, said there was no cause for alarm as the party had the capacity to settle its internal issues.

Damagum called on the governors-elect to take the issue of the PDP Governors Forum (PGF) seriously as it was the backbone of the party.

Meanwhile, members of the G-5 governors, Nyesom Wike (Rivers) Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) Samuel Ortom (Benue), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) were absent at the gathering.