The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation has expressed the hope that they G5 governors led by Nyesom Wike of Rivers State will soon reunite with the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, Atiku Abubukar.
The Director of Strategic Communications of the organisation, Dele Momodu, who stated this at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, expressed the optimism following the remark by the Rivers State governor on Wednesday that the group was still opened to reconciliation.
He said: “I am sure most of you most have heard that our governors, the Integrity Group, said yesterday that the window of reconciliation has not been shut permanently.
“We’ve been at it for some time trying to see how we can bring everybody under the same umbrella.
“So, hopefully, in the next couple of days and weeks, all of us will be able to work as one family. PDP is the biggest political family in Africa and we want it to remain so.”
He observed that the G5 may have assumed a new disposition in the rift with the presidential flag bearer because of the attitude of the former Vice President of wanting to remain at peace with everyone.
Momodu also expressed concern over the attacks perpetrated on PDP campaign rallies in parts of the country, disclosing that the organisation plans to formally report to the National Peace Commission and other relevant authorities.
He said: “Yesterday (Wednesday), we were attacked in Borno State. We’ve been attacked in Kaduna and it’s so unfortunate because there was a peace accord that was signed by most of the presidential candidates.
“So, we plan to report formally to the security authorities, we plan to report to the Peace Commission because democracy is not by force, it is a game of choice.
“So, if I choose to support my candidate, there shouldn’t be any problem about that.
“So, firing dane guns, throwing stones and all manner of weapons, for me, is a very unfortunate development.
“So, we hope that you’re able to help us send the message across to the authorities that PDP is worried.
“My heart goes out to one of our colleagues, Mary Chinda of Arise News, who sustained injury. Infact, I’ve just seen an x-ray of her arms. So, I hope nothing serious happened to her because she fell in the process of that attack yesterday.
“I saw that the police, PRO or someone denied that any of such thing did happen.
“It’s obvious that the other parties can see that Atiku Abubakar, GCON, is the leading candidate and he’s going to win the next election. Otherwise, why are they jittery?
“You can see that we have done four states (rallies) already and all the four states recorded resounding successes. So, we shall continue to campaign in every part of Nigeria for PDP. It’s a carnival of ideas. It is not a carnival of war.
“So, we shall continue to campaign vigorously, rigorously. Any candidate who can match that should also go ahead and do his own.”
Meanwhile, the campaign organization has denied that it is broke, saying that since the campaign is long, it does not want to exhaust its finances early.
Speaking on the issue during the briefing, a member of the Communications team, Ose Anenih, who stated this, also said that the organization wants to spend within the provision of the Electoral Act.
He said some political parties are already breaching the Act, saying that the PDP will soon draw the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the infraction.
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