•as G5, Fayose, Mimiko, others shun PDPGF reception
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday insisted that he did not lose the just concluded presidential election.
Speaking at a reception organized by the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDP GF) for outgoing, re-elected, newly elected and former governors of the main opposition party on Thursday in Abuja, he said the PDP must stay together and focus on how to regain what he described as its stolen mandate.
Addressing a packed hall of party stakeholders inside Transcorp Hilton, he also advised members to examine how the PDP receded from being the oldest and dominant political party in 1999 to its present status.
Atiku said: “Next time, this kind of event can be organized earlier in the day to allow us have more time so that all the issues, challenges, facing the party can be discussed.
“Let me congratulate you especially those that have been elected or re-elected to various offices.
“We have a number of challenges. We started as a dominant political party in 1999, but since then we have been recrding. It is time to take stock and find out why we are receding and how can we make sure that our position as the leading political party in the country can be regained.
“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.”
Also speaking, former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, called for peace and unity in the PDP, regretting that many of its state chapters have been bedeviled by crises.
Noting the case of Kaduna State in particular, he said “what is happening in some states today is very unfortunate, I will give example of Kaduna State, what is happening in Kaduna State today, people are being suspended from the party left, right and center 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 problem in the party is taking place.
“Likewise other states. So, I want to seize the opportunity to call on all party members to cooperate and let the party continue to work, and ensure that our mandate is brought back to us.”
The forum had been planned to formally send forth outgoing PDP governors among whom are four members of the G5 including Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Sam Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), who all failed to turn up.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who is the only returning state chief executive in the G5, was also expected at the event but did not also show up to participate in the reception for the re-elected governors.
Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State and their Taraba State counterpart, Darius Ishaku who were all scheduled to be honoured were also absent.
Former governors Ayo Fayose and Olusegun Mimiko of Ekiti and Ondo states, respectively were also absent despite being slated for honouring being former PDP governors along with ex-governors Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State and Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.
The presence of the G5 members would have brought them face to face with the presidential candidate of the PDP for the first time since they began opposing his candidacy before the 2023 presidential election.
Also absent were the PDP governors-elect of Rivers and Akwa Ibom states, Siminialayi Fubara and Umo Eno, respectively.
Their counterparts, Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Calab Mutfwang (Plateau), Agbu Kefas (Taraba) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), however, graced the occasion.
The reception had the theme: “Good Governance at the Subnational Level: Issues, Perspectives, Expectations and Outcomes.”
The lecturer at the event, Dr. Muda Yusuf, advised the party to focus on fiscal resilience, leveraging on devolution of powers and performance management.
He said “if outcome is positive, it means the performance has surpassed expectations and the people will be happy. If the outcome is negative, it means performance has fallen short of expectations and the people will not be happy.”
Yusuf admonished the elected officials to be sure to appoint the right people into office to succeed.
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