National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, will on Monday meet with the party’s presidential aspirants in Abuja.
PorscheClassy News understands that the PDP is perfecting strategy ahead of impending plans by leaders of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC) to defect to the former ruling party as the 2019 elections draw nearer.
National Secretary of the party, Umaru Tsauri, confirmed the meeting in a notice.
The notice read: “The National Chairman of our great party, the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, hereby invites all PDP presidential aspirants, all PDP governors and former governors, PDP members of the National Assembly and former members, all members of the BOT, members of PDP former ministers forum and all state chairmen to a crucial meeting on Monday, 9th July, 2018 at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.”
Members of the R-APC, which emerged last week, comprise of the aggrieved members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Top on the list of aggrieved APC bigwigs are the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and immediate past governor of Kano state Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.
It was gathered that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna state Governor Ahmed Makarfi are among those expected to attend the meeting.
Others include former governors of Jigawa and Kano states Sule Lamido and Ibrahim Shekarau, former Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Kabiru Turaki (SAN).
Reports say the aspirants are to deliberate terms for accepting R-APC leaders, such as Saraki, Dogara and others into the party.
It was also gathered that top on the agenda is the report of former Governor Liyel Imoke Contact and Mobilisation Committee.
His committee has been discussing with R-APC and about 30 ”minor” parties.
However, reports have it that tension is building up in the PDP over alleged plot by Governor of Rivers state Nyesom Wike and his Ekiti counterpart Ayodele Fayose to “influence” defection terms in favour of Saraki.
It was further learned that Wike and Fayose are also considering Sokoto state Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Kwankwaso for the presidential ticket.
But PDP leaders from the North, it was gathered, are unhappy with the seemingly overwhelming influence of Wike and Fayose over the leaders of the party.
