RETURN TO PDP: ATIKU TELLS GOJE, SARAKI AND AMAECHI.

Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, made a practical return to
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, with a courtesy call on the
national leadership of the party and called on former party members, who left
the party with him, to return. Without referring to the ruling All Progressives
Congress, APC, Atiku affirmed that no government had performed up to half of
what the PDP achieved in its time in government.
                 

Among those who left the party with Atiku were Senate President Bukola

Saraki, Transport Minister, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi; Senators Rabiu Kwankwanso,

Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Wamakko, among others, now holding prominent positionsin the All Progressives Congress, APC- led government.

Atiku’s call was received with quiver among some of the former PDP

chieftains, most of who preferred to be left out of the issue. The call came as   the race for the national chairman of the PDP, yesterday, got on a knife-edge, with the leading aspirants sweeping across the states in a last- minute rush for delegates.

As the leading candidates swept across the states, party chieftains including

governors headed to Abuja for crucial caucus meetings expected to commence

today on harmonising positions ahead of the convention.

There were also indications that some of the party’s presidential hopefuls were

also unwittingly gravitating towards one of the national chairmanship

candidates.

The chairman of the PDP Convention Planning Committee,

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, has assured that PDP governors would

not force a national chairman on the party, contrary to insinuations in some

circles.

Prince Uche Secondus, one of the leading national chairmanship candidates,

was headed to Abuja last night for the series of meetings commencing today,

following a sweep through Taraba, Gombe and Benue States. Another leading

candidate, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi after going to Ebonyi and Enugu, was last

night, canvassing for delegates’ support in Abia with his delegation and is also

expected in Abuja today for final consultations with party leaders.

A high-level party source said, yesterday, that the meetings starting today

among governors and other party senior officials would be directed towards

streamlining the candidates for the various positions and notably, the office of

national chairman.

“If we are unable to harmonise, then we will go to the convention ground to

determine the leadership, reflective of the PDP as a truly democratic party and

not like the APC that has not been able to hold a convention,” the party source

said.

PDP presidential hopefuls, it was learnt, are also delicately engaging around

the contests for positions in the new National Working Committee, NWC of the

party.

Atiku, whose bearing had been speculated to be towards Prof. Tunde Adeniran,

and Prince Uche Secondus, absented himself from a scheduled meeting with

Northern Elders on Monday night at Ibro Hotel, Abuja. The Northern elders, who had taken position against Secondus, waited for Atiku’s arrival for the

scheduled meeting to no avail.

Meanwhile, Atiku was, however, at the PDP national secretariat yesterday,

during which he called on those who left the party to return home.

The former vice-president was accompanied by a huge crowd made up of men

and women, with a group of young people decked in specially-made T-shirts,

with the inscription: ‘Atiku 100%.’