PDP leaders, candidates meet over April 11 polls

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party met in Abuja on Thursday with their governorship candidates and the 36 state chairmen of the   party.

Although the agenda of the meeting was not made public.

The PDP’s   candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, lost the presidential election to the All Progressives Congress candidate,   Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). The ruling party has won only 49 seats .in the Senate as against APC’s 60. There are 109 seats in the Senate.

It will be recalled that members of the PDP National Working Committee   and   governors held a similar meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday.

The governors of Kaduna, Ramalan Yero and Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, also attended the Thursday meeting which held at the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the PDP.

An NWC source, who spoke on the meeting to one of our correspondents, said, “We lost the presidential election on Saturday to the opposition.

“While we must admit that it was shocking but we must forge ahead. We called the meeting to encourage our candidates for the April 11 elections that they need to work hard to be able to win well.

“You also know that our state chairmen are very key elements that are needed to galvanise our supporters and boost our chances in the forthcoming elections in the states.

“What we have done is more of a confidence–boosting meeting and we believe it will go a long way.”

Another source told one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity that the party was still in shock over the defeat suffered by its presidential candidate.

The source stated that since “those who the party trusted worked against its interest, the governorship candidates had to be advised   to be careful.”

He said that the meeting could not explain why Jonathan lost badly in the entire northern states, except in about three states in the North-Central.

It was also gathered that the party agreed that all those   aggrieved must be placated before the conduct of the remaining elections.

The meeting, which was chaired by the PDP National Chairman,   Adamu Mu’azu, ended without a communiqué.

Mu’azu, who breezed out of the National Executive Committee Hall, after the meeting declined comments.