Former Vice-President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) needs to regain its “eminent position” in politics.
The February 25 PDP presidential candidate who spoke on Thursday at an event organised for the Party’s governors-elect and outgoing governors in Abuja, expressed worries that the PDP which was a dominant political party is “receding.”
Recall that the PDP was in power from 1999 to 2015 and Atiku, who contested the 2023 elections on the PDP platform, lost to Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We have a number of challenges. We started as a dominant political party in 1999 and since then have been receding.
“I think it is time for us to take stock and find out why we are receding and how can we make sure that our eminent position as the leading political party in this country, as the oldest political party in this country, we regain our position.
“This is a very important challenge which I think requires a whole day seminar for us as a party to ensure that we regain our eminent position in the politics of this country and the whole of Africa,” he said.
Abubakar however congratulated the PDP governors-elect and asked them to be united and loyal to the Party.
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Namadi Sambo, a former vice-president, at the event advised the Party’s leadership to address the arbitrary suspension of members.
According to him, it was unfortunate that some Party members were being suspended without giving a fair hearing.
“I will seize this opportunity to publicly call on 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 being put in place,” he said.
“So likewise in other states, I will use this opportunity to call on all party members to cooperate to let the party continue.”
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and chairperson of the PDP Governors Forum, added that the Party’s legacy must be sustained.
“I’m happy to bequeath to you and indeed the members of this forum, a forum that is strong, cohesive and vocal in the defence of democracy and good governance in the country.
“With the calibre of governors-elect, I see here today, I can say confidently the forum is going to be in good hands,” Tambuwal said.
