By Emeka Nze Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said despite the exit of some prominent politicians such as former President Olusegun, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, governors and other top shots, the party has remained a formidable platform. PDP also assured that it would never be a one-manparty , noting that the exit of these prominent politicians only wounded, but not kill the party. National Organising Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the party, Senator Abdul Ningi, stated this yesterday in Abuja while giving out the expression of interest and nomination forms to Anambra state governorship aspirant, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu.
Senator Ningi noted that PDP has risen from the ashes of the defections, adding: “We said one of our cardinal principles is that this party is not a one-man party. Th is party has individuals that left the PDP beginning with the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua died, etc. “Th at has been our plight. Th is party can do without a single individual or groups of individuals. “Five of our governors left, we were wounded but not defeated and we are rising up from ashes of those who have left.” He said the recent leadership crisis has strengthened the party as it had given it an opportunity to do a sober refl ection. “We are also happy that the crisis has given us the opportunity to look inwards, to look at mistakes, look at where we went wrong and try to make amends. “Th is party has also left it doors open for those who have left to come back because PDP is their natural turf. A lot of them have discovered that where it matters is this party”, he added. Also speaking, the National Publicity Secretary of the NCC, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, explained that the party crashed the cost of its gubernatorial expression of interest and nominations from N11million to N6million to broaden participation by members. He said Nigerians have not lost confi dence in the party and the party was working toward having at least 30 state governors by 2019.
Meanwhile, Obiogbolu, who is the fi rst governorship aspirant from Anambra to pick gubernatorial nomination form, assured that PDP was primed to recapture the state in the forthcoming election. He observed that the apparent mass defection of members of the party happened only at the top but with no bearing on the grassroots. Obiogbolu, however, expressed the confi dence that all those who left the party would return to its fold after the primaries. “Fortunately for us, God did miracle for us in Anambra state that posits victory for us. Th e fi rst miracle is that we are more fortunate than Edo and Ondo states. Th ese two states went into election with the house divided, without a defi nitive statement. “God did it that just before our gubernatorial primaries, the Supreme Court gave a defi nite judgment on the leadership crisis.
