The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has began talks with prominent political leaders from the northern part of the country ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
Punch reports PDP is hoping to win its former big wigs with an offer of the party’s presidential ticket.
PDP recently announced that it had zoned its presidential ticket to the north.
It was gathered that members of the National Working Committee of the party had been having meetings with notable politicians who defected from the PDP to the APC.
Among those being wooed are the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, a former Governor of Kano State, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, confirmed the secret meetings the leadership of the party had been having with its former members.
Metuh, who told Punch that he was partaking in such meetings, said it would be premature to mention those who were contacted to return to their former party.
But he said the party was only considering those he said have electoral values and had yet to constantly condemn the party and everything it stood for in the past.
Metuh said, “Yes, I can confirm that we have opened discussions with our former members who left us due to misunderstandings and were aggrieved. We are already having meetings with them and I can assure you that the discussions are going to yield positive results.
“But for the fact that some of these gentlemen are holding sensitive positions in the APC and in government, we won’t be able to mention their names.
“They are not happy with the Federal Government and some of its policies and they have decided to team up with us come 2019.”
Also, PDP might have settled for the Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu as its vice presidential candidate.
Ekweremadu is the party’s highest ranking political office holder.
His zone, the South-East and the South-South, are the major base of the PDP.
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