Atiku Abubakar Returns to Nigeria Ahead of Crucial PDP NEC Meeting

In anticipation of the imminent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has made his return to Nigeria.

Atiku, who had been abroad for several weeks, arrived back in the country in the early hours of Tuesday

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, led by Ambassador Illiya Damagum, has been compelled to convene the NEC meeting for April 18, after abstaining from doing so for over a year. The NEC, regarded as the party’s second most influential decision-making body after the national convention, is mandated to convene every quarter according to the party’s constitution.

Party insiders suggest that the impending NEC gathering is poised to be a pivotal moment for the PDP.

Atiku, widely considered the de facto leader of the party due to his presidential candidacy in the last elections, is expected to lead preparatory meetings ahead of the NEC session.

The party has faced mounting criticism over alleged mismanagement, with former Benue State governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, alleging external influence over the party’s affairs.

Furthermore, the North Central zone has demanded that Damagum relinquish the acting national chairmanship position, advocating for a substantive chairman from the region where the position was initially zoned in 2021.

It’s worth noting that former Senate President, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State (North Central), was elected national chairman at the party’s previous convention. However, Damagum, from Yobe State (North East), assumed the role of acting national chairman in 2023 following a court order that removed Ayu from office.

While the agenda for the NEC meeting will be set by the NWC, sources suggest that deliberations may extend to addressing actions against “party leaders who have continued to undermine the party.”

Recall that certain governors and party figures openly opposed Atiku’s candidacy in 2023 and have recently reaffirmed their support for President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).