The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the February 25, general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has revealed why the leading opposition party has lost its rightful place and relevance in the Nigerian political space.
Speaking at a reception organised for new and returning governors elected on the PDP platform in Abuja, Atiku said the protracted crisis that the party is enmeshed in has pushed it down the pecking order of the nation’s politics.
Atiku lamented the state of affairs in the party and called for stocktaking towards finding a lasting solution.
This is as a former vice president, Namadi Sambo, said many state chapters of the PDP were enmeshed in crises and called for unity and cooperation to move the party forward.
Atiku, who noted that the PDP, which started as a major party in 1999, had been losing its dominance, urged its leaders and members to work together to ensure that its position as the leading political party in the country was regained.
He said, “This is a very important challenge that requires a whole day seminar so that we can, as a party, regain our eminent position in the country.
“We all know that the PDP did not lose the last election. So, we should be determined and focused on retrieving our mandate that has been stolen.”
Sambo on his part said the situation of PDP in some states called for urgent intervention of its national body.
He said, “What is happening in some states today is very unfortunate. I will give an example of Kaduna State. What is happening in Kaduna State today; people are being suspended from the party left, right, and centre without due process.
“I want to seize this opportunity to publicly ask 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 taking place.”