Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was noticeably absent at the North East zonal caucus meeting of the party on Thursday.
The meeting, which took place in Bauchi, had in attendance, the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, and Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
The meeting also had members of the PDP Reconciliation Committee, led by former National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Senators, House of Representatives members, State Assembly members and several other chieftains from the zone in attendance.
While some party stalwarts who didn’t attend, sent in representatives, it was discovered that Atiku was absent and did not have a representative at the meeting.
Discussions at the meeting centred around reconciliation efforts and strategising for the party’s future, particularly the 2027 elections.
The meeting deliberated on key issues, particularly the upcoming PDP Zonal and National Conventions, and focused on resolving internal conflicts to strengthen the party as the main opposition.
Speaking at the meeting, PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Ilya Damagun, urged party members to submerge their personal interests in the party’s interest.
He also emphasized that the party is bigger than any individual member.
“Interest is paramount. We are all in politics for various reasons, but the most important thing is that you can only achieve your goals when your political vehicle is strong enough to take you to your destination.
“PDP is a Trojan horse – a tested and trusted party with experienced politicians who have seen it all. We have the capacity to weather any storm.
“Nobody is above the party. We will support and acknowledge our members, but if you go against the party’s interests, we will part ways with you,” he said.
In his remarks, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who is also chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, called for reconciliation within the party.
He suggested swapping party positions as a way of fostering unity and combating disagreements in the PDP.
“Positions in Gombe will be moved to Bauchi, those in Borno will be shifted to Yobe, and Adamawa’s positions will be reassigned to Taraba, and vice versa,” he suggested.
