We want Atiku, Kano gov, others back —PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Friday said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspi-rant, General Muhammadu Buhari is too old to rule Nigeria just as it is making moves to bring back into its fold former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other aggrieved governors, who had dumped the party for APC.

Making this disclosure during an interactive session with journalists in Ile-Ife, the PDP national secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, averred that the "APC presidential candidate is "democratically untested.

General Buhari is too old to rule Nigeria. The 72 year old man who retired from Nigerian Army has nothing to offer this nation. His age will not even allow him to give Nigerians what they deserve. I am sure that no youth in Nigeria will vote for Buhari. I will advise Nigerian youths to tell the world through their votes that the young ones can perform better."

He also said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Kano State governor, Dr Rabiu Kwakwanso and some ex- PDP members were being contacted for negotiation to facilitate their possible return to the party before February, 2015 general elections.

Oladipo, who said he currently heads a committee saddled with the responsibility of speaking to some former aggrieved members asserted that "Vice President Atiku and Dr Kwankwaso are some of the those we are in contact with. In case of our former VP, Alhaji Atiku, who was humiliated by the owners of APC during the party's presidential primaries, we believe he can  only enjoy his deserved influence in PDP and we are in contact already".

"Dr Kwankwaso is also being contacted because we know they belong to us and the earlier they realise that PDP remains the only party where they can only enjoy their deserved leverage, the better. We are in contact with them and we are hopeful of fruitful negotiations", he stated.

According to Oladipo,  the PDP reconciliation committee recently constituted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party would also meet all identifiable and genuinely aggrieved former members of the party who are in the APC and other political parties.

He maintained that all these developments were aimed at achieving total reconciliation before 2015 general polls, with a view to further consolidate on its advantageous position ahead of the exercise.

Commenting on the crisis rocking its Ondo state chapter, Oladipo observed  that the PDP was close  to total reconciliation of all aggrieved factions, explaining that both chief of staff to the Governor, Dr Segun Mimiko and one of the leaders of old PDP in the state, Chief Nathaniel Oke were in Ile-Ife as part of reconciliation efforts.

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