At the meeting of a select committee of the National Working Committee of the party on Tuesday at the secretariat, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, and the G5 governors, led by former governor Nyesom Wike, were all conspicuously absent.
According to PDP National Organising Secretary Umar Bature, the conference was organised to ease tension and spark internal party reconciliation after the election.
He said that instead of blaming others, its members should be mindful of how their actions affected the results of the general elections in 2023.
He said during the most recent general elections, the party will not assign blame, suspend, expel, or accuse anybody of engaging in pro- or anti-party actions.
“Our party feels that Atiku Abubakar won the election, but we are in court, therefore, we will set it aside without regard to what the judge decides. This is an interactive meeting rather than a NEC meeting to kick off a reconciliation process.
“Now that we’re here, everyone knows what occurred in 2023. Both individually and collectively, we contributed. If you take the floor, I implore you first to describe your own part in the elections of 2023, whether it was good or bad, before accusing anybody else, whether it was favourable or negative.
Umar Damagun, the party’s acting national chairman, said that the meeting was a continuation of the National Working Committee’s interaction with important stakeholders in an effort to plan the party’s future following the most recent election.
“During this meeting, we’ll get the chance to discuss the results of the most recent general elections and brainstorm ways to fortify the party in preparation for upcoming difficulties.
“We have met with members of the National Ex Officio, state chairmen, selected members of the Board of Trustees, and members of the National Assembly on a number of occasions. The reason we called this meeting, which is a continuation of the last one, was because of what transpired in the previous ones.
The PDP, which entered the 2023 general elections with a divided house, would not be the first to ask for the reunification of its members.
Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, urged party members to set aside their disagreements and strive for the party’s unity earlier in June during a retreat in Bauchi, declaring that “the mending process must start immediately.”
