2019: PDP Woos Obasanjo, Atiku, Saraki, Others

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday declared that it will ensure the return of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku Abubakar, Senate President Abubakar Saraki and all those who held top political office under the party.
The national chairman of the party, Ahmed Makarfi stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while inaugurating three party committees namely: convention, disciplinary and reconciliation.
While former foreign affairs minister, Tom Ikimi heads the disciplinary committee, governors of Rivers and Gombe States, Nyesom Wike and Ibrahim Dankwambo, respectively, will serve as co-chairmen of the reconciliation committee. Governor of Delta State heads the convention committee.
In the build-up to 2015 general election, Obasanjo had monitored the shredding of his PDP membership card and much later declared his resignation from partisan politics.
Atiku and Saraki along side five PDP governors, namely Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and now governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, had led members from the lower chamber into the APC.
Makarfi charged the reconciliation committee to extend their assignment to the founding members of the party, noting that it should not be restricted to pre-2015 alone.
The party chairman told the committee that they should reach out to the founding fathers of the party under the aegis of Group of 34 members and ensure that they bring back members who held high positions.
He also added that the committee should reach out to “former high ranking government officials who came into office under the aegis of the PDP.
“This includes President, vice, governors and former senate president, speaker of House of Representatives and all other former top ranking members in the party. Everybody that was in PDP at one time or the other should be reconciled with. It is not limited to pre-2015.”
The national chairman who added that committee could also reconcile with politicians who were never members of PDP, however stressed “it must not be based on any conditionalities.”
He added that all of party members who weathered the storm would not be abandoned, adding “We cannot foreclose opportunity for those who stay behind when through the turbulent period of the party.
On his part, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi, disclosed that the former PDP members who defected to the APC are on their way back.
The former minister who was a chairman of the APC merger committee, further said that APC’s 2015 victory was secured by the  PDP defectors.
He said “APC is now dying and is almost dead. I am aware that they were able to win in 2015 because of members of PDP who defected there.
“I have it on good authority that key members who left PDP and joined APC are now returning to the party.
I like us to receive then with open hands and we will rebuild the party.”
He added that it is important to instill discipline in the party just as he assured  “that we are not out to bring down anybody. We shall do our job scrupulously.”

He noted that we are disciplinary committee will work closely with reconciliation committee to ensure our members who left to return.

Source: http://www.businessdayonline.com/2019-pdp-woos-obasanjo-atiku-saraki-others/