From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said no special concession was given to former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar before he rejoined the party on Sunday.
Chairman, PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi stated this, yesterday, in Abuja at the inauguration of the party’s Convention Planning Convention.
Makarfi said Atiku neither requested for any special concession before rejoining the PDP nor is the party giving special concession to the former vice president or any of its formers members willing to return to its fold.
According to him, PDP will continue to receive its former members. PDP did not extend any special concession to Atiku and the party will not extend any special concession to any other person.
“Atiku never asked that we conceded anything to him and we never gave him anything,” he said.
Makarfi expressed satisfaction with the judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Ado-Ekiti, which nullified the judgment of a High Court that would have affected the smooth conduct of the December 9 national convention.
The PDP chairman, who accused a particular serving senator from the South West of being behind most of the problems confronting the party in recent, noted that there was no impediment to the conduct of the convention.
He admonished all contestants for various offices at the convention to go about their campaigns with decorum.
Makarfi also allayed the fears of PDP members that the party may impose a presidential candidate on them for the 2019 general election. According to him, “the party members reserves their right to give mandate to anyone they wish to give their mandate to.”
Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin expressed the readiness of the board to partner with the various organs of the party to ensure the success of the national convention.
He dispelled rumours that the BoT was working for a particular chairmanship aspirant.
Jibrin who insisted that the “BoT has no hidden agenda” urged party members to shun anything that may negatively affect the convention.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Governor Okowa has given a firm assurance that Saturday convention will be free, fair and credible.