Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was notedly absent from the party’s North East Zonal Caucus meeting held in Bauchi State on Thursday.
Despite being a key stakeholder in the party, Atiku neither attended the meeting nor sent a representative or apology.
While Atiku shunned the meeting, other prominent party members who were unable to attend sent representatives.
The meeting, however, was well-attended by other top party officials, including all three PDP governors from Bauchi, Taraba, and Adamawa states. Senators, members of the House of Representatives, and state assembly members from the zone also participated in the meeting.
According to Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Ilya Damagun, the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss key issues related to the party’s forthcoming zonal and national conventions. Damagun called on party leaders to put aside their differences and work towards strengthening the party.
“We are all in this politics for various interests, but the most important thing is that you only realize your interest when your vehicle is very strong and can take you to your destination,” Damagun said. “PDP is a tested and trusted party, and we have experienced politicians who have seen it all and can weather the storm.”
Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who is also the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, expressed confidence in the party’s strength and pledged the governors’ support in fortifying its structure.
Mohammed proposed swapping of party zonal positions across states to foster reconciliation and minimize rancour.
He said, “In order to foster reconciliation and minimize rancour with us, all those positions that are in different states would be swapped. Those in Gombe would be swapped to Bauchi, those from Borno would be swapped to Yobe, those from Adamawa would be swapped to Taraba and vis-a-visa.
“Then the micro zoning would be done by various leaders of the party and on your behalf the three PDP Governors here leading three PDP states and the National Chairman from Yobe and Senator Hassan Dankwambo from Gombe and our brother Muhammad Imam from Borno. We will make sure we minimize rancour and division and ensure that those that have left, especially our brother, former Zonal chairman, we are going to throw away our own. We will rehabilitate him and keep him and make him proud that he was once our zonal chairman.”
