Atiku absent as PDP reconciliation committee visits Bauchi

 Ex-VP’s rebellion made PDP lose Presidency, says Wike’s aide

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was conspicuously absent at the North East Zonal Caucus meeting of the party, yesterday, in Bauchi State.

The meeting had in attendance all the three PDP governors in the North East, including Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), AgbuKefas (Taraba) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).

Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and New Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has accused Atiku of leading a rebellion against the PDP.

Senators and members of the House of Representatives, as well as members of the Houses of Assembly from the North East also attended the meeting, where it was gathered that Atiku neither sent a representative nor tendered an apology for his absence.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss key issues related to the successful conduct of the party’s forthcoming zonal and national conventions. Acting National Chairman of PDP, Umar Damagun, called on party leaders to sheathe their swords and reduce all infractions and division, adding, “Interest is paramount. We are all in this politics for various interests, but the most important thing is that you only realise your interest when your vehicle is very strong enough to take you to your destination. You cannot go anywhere if you don’t have a solid vehicle.

“I want to give this commitment to all of you and to assure you that the party is more than an individual; that is why the party is still standing today.”
Chairman PDP Governors’ Forum (PGF), Governor Mohammed of Bauchi, expressed confidence in the party’s strength and pledged the governors’ support in fortifying its structure.

The reconciliation committee led by the former National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, stressed that “the party is more than ever poised” to address the challenges facing the party headlong.

He added that the move was aimed at fixing everything humanly possible to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
OLAYINKA said Atiku’s rebellion in 2014 was responsible for the failure of the PDP to remain in power.

In an interview on Arise Television, the spokesman to Nyesom Wike accused the former presidential candidate of frustrating his own party during his tenure as Vice President.

Olayinka said: “PDP’s issues started in 2003 when Atiku as Vice President frustrated the PDP’s efforts to win Lagos State. That was how the problem started. Because we were able to march on in government, people did not notice. The problem went on to the extent that a sitting President, Olusegun Obasanjo, literally had to beg his running mate to be able to pick his second term ticket.”