Factional PDP leaders hold talks with ex-VP Sambo in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party has said it is repositioned and ready to reclaim power across the country following a high-level meeting between its leaders and former Vice President Namadi Sambo.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting in Abuja on Tuesday evening, the PDP National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), said Sambo reaffirmed his membership of the party and his continued support for its activities.

He added that the former vice president also shared strategic advice on how the party can strengthen unity, uphold internal legality and improve its chances in future elections.

Turaki explained that the engagement was part of ongoing efforts to rebuild and reposition the PDP as a strong alternative capable of winning elections at the national level.

The meeting was attended by members of the party’s Board of Trustees and the National Working Committee, as well as founding fathers and mothers of the PDP.

Others present included members of the National Assembly, state chairmen, former ministers, former governors, former lawmakers and other key stakeholders drawn from across the country.

Turaki said the delegation briefed Sambo on the opportunities before the party as well as the challenges it had encountered since the leadership’s emergence at the Ibadan convention.

He said, “His Excellency generously offered advice and guidance on the way forward in repositioning the party to once again become a veritable winning platform for Nigerians. Most importantly, he assured us that he remains, and will continue to remain, a member of the PDP.

“He further assured us that he would soon become more active than before and that whenever there is any issue requiring attention, we should not hesitate to reach out to him.”

Turaki said the party was encouraged by the reassurance of its founding leaders, whom he described as the backbone of the PDP’s past successes.

“So, we will continue to assure Nigerians, and members of the PDP across the country, that theirs remains the biggest party in Africa. The PDP is on the move again, and very soon we shall return to our winning days.

“We are positioning the party to win forthcoming elections, beginning with the FCT Area Council elections, as well as the Ekiti and Osun off-season elections. We are on course,” he said.

Reacting to the Federal High Court’s dismissal of a case involving the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike-backed caretaker committee and its National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, Turaki said the ruling had vindicated the party’s position, insisting that courts should not interfere in purely internal party affairs.

He said, “The judgment is a vindication for us in the PDP. We have consistently maintained that the decision of the Supreme Court is sacrosanct and that courts have no business meddling in internal party matters.

“The judgment of Justice Umar today affirms that we are the legitimate leaders of the PDP and that our convention was properly conducted. It also confirms that individuals cannot unilaterally assume leadership positions in a political party. This is not a market association; there must be discipline.”

PDP governors had earlier endorsed the Ibadan convention, at which Turaki and other members of the National Working Committee were elected for a four-year term on November 16.

However, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, alongside his allies, Mohammed Abdulrahman and Senator Anyanwu, has continued to insist that they remain the Acting National Chairman and Acting National Secretary, respectively.

Although the governors supervised a seamless handover from former Chairman, Umar Damagum, to Turaki ahead of the official end of Damagum’s tenure on December 9, the Wike-aligned faction went ahead on December 8 to set up a 13-member caretaker committee, appointing Mohammed, Anyanwu and others with a 60-day mandate.

Both factions subsequently sought formal recognition from the Independent National Electoral Commission, prompting INEC to withhold recognition of PDP candidates for the Ekiti election.

Meanwhile, multiple suits challenging the party’s national leadership remain pending before courts at various levels.

Despite the crisis, the Turaki-led National Working Committee has continued consultations with elder statesmen.

In addition to Sambo, the committee has met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Minister of Defence, T.Y. Danjuma.

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