Atiku, PDP beg Nigerians for votes, vow to do better from 2023

Nigerian major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked Nigerians for another chance to form government at the federal level, promising to perform better if elected in 2023.

The widely distrusted party made this assertion on Saturday at its 92nd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja. In attendance at the meeting were PDP governors, NEC members, Board of Trustee members, National Assembly caucus, and states Chairmen.

“NEC is confident that the PDP has earned the trust of Nigerians once again and our party will do better when given the opportunity to lead the nation,” the PDPs national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said while reading resolutions reached at the meeting.

The PDP has scheduled its elective national convention for October 30 and 31 in Abuja and September 9 to review nominations and adopt zoning of national offices of the party.

The acting national chairman of PDP, Yemi Akinwonmi, said the peace initiatives of the party was yielding results. He appealed to members to resist attempts to sow disunity among them while urging them to work together.

The acting national chairman, decrying the various challenges facing the country, such as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, unemployment, and many other issues, said Nigerians were “looking up to PDP to salvage this country”.

On his part, former vice president Atiku Abubakar said Nigeria should no longer be in doubt of the PDP’s sense of patriotism and commitment to get Nigeria moving again.

“We are being taken aback by the APC government and we have shown to Nigerians that when we are trusted again we will do even much better than we had done before,” he said.

“If you look at PDP, it has the most experienced people in this country, whether in the executive wing, whether in the legislature, whether in party administration. We have the most experienced and most competent individuals in this party,” Mr Abubakar said.

Also speaking, the chairman of PDP Governors Forum and governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, pledged the loyalty of the remaining Forum members to the party and committed to working on delivering the dividends of democracy to their respective states.

Mr Tambuwal, while commending various interventions into the party challenges by leaders and elders, called for unity among members.

“We shall continue to hold and remain together because we are the hope of the people of Nigeria and Nigerians are looking forward to PDP and we cannot afford to fail them.

“The challenges are quite many and it is important for us to continue to work together as a family. We are going into warfare and we must go to warfare in unity and as a family, you cannot win if you are divided.

“So let’s not lose hope. We must remain focused with our eyes on the ball. And we shall, by the grace of God, score that goal,” Mr Tambuwal said.

Urging Nigerians to give the PDP their votes, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Senate Minority Leader, said it was now clear to everyone that PDP was united and moving forward.

Abaribe promised that the PDP caucus in the Senate would continue to work in the party’s best interest and that they would continue to oppose the APC.

“To make sure that any law that is obnoxious, any law that does not give us freedom, any law that seems to circumscribe your freedom in Nigeria, we will never agree with that law,” he said.