Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa, and disgruntled members of the Integrity group led by former governor Nyesom Wike were observed to be absent during the meeting of a select committee from the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held at the party’s secretariat on Tuesday.
Umar Bature, the PDP’s National Organising Secretary, stated that the purpose of the meeting was to alleviate tensions and initiate reconciliation within the party following the recent elections.
He emphasized that the members present at the meeting had all played a role in the outcome of the 2023 general elections and should be cautious about blaming others.
Bature further declared that the party would not assign blame, suspend, expel, or accuse anyone of engaging in activities that were either supportive or detrimental to the party’s interests during the last general elections.
“This party believes that Atiku Abubakar won the election, but we are in court, and without prejudice to what the court will decide, we will keep it aside. Let me acknowledge that this is not a NEC meeting, but an interactive meeting with the aim of jump-starting a reconciliation process.
“We are here today and everyone knows what happened in 2023. We contributed both individually and collectively. If you rise to speak, I beg you to spell out your own role in the 2023 elections, either positive or negative before you jump to accuse someone else, either negative or positive.”
Umar Damagun, Acting National Chairman of the party, said the meeting was in continuation of the National Working Committee’s consultation with critical stakeholders, in a bid to chart the way forward for the party after the last election.
“This meeting will give us the opportunity to review the outcome of the last general elections and to share ideas about how to strengthen the party to face the challenges ahead.
“We have had a series of meetings with the members of the National Ex Officio, state Chairmen, select BoT, and members of the National Assembly. This is a continuation of that meeting and it was borne out of what has happened during those meetings and we said there was a need for us to call this one.”
The PDP has previously made efforts to reconcile its members following the 2023 general elections, as the party had entered the elections with internal divisions.
In June, during a retreat held in Bauchi, Seyi Makinde, the Governor of Oyo State, urged stakeholders of the party to set aside their differences and focus on fostering unity within the party. He emphasized the need to initiate the healing process promptly, recognizing that unity among party members was essential for moving forward.
