Atiku returns to Nigeria ahead crucial PDP NEC meeting

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

A former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has returned to Nigeria ahead of the much-anticipated National Executive Committee, (NEC), meeting of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).
It was gathered that Atiku, who had been out of the country for weeks, returned in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Ambassador Illiya Damagum-led National Working Committee, (NWC) of the PDP was pressured into fixing the NEC meeting for April 18, having refused to hold the meeting for over one year.
Peoples Daily reports that the NEC, the second most influential decision-making organ of the party after the national convention, is expected to meet every quarter as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
The anticipated NEC meeting, according to sources, is shaping up to be a make or mar one for the party.
Atiku, who is regarded as the de facto leader of the party, being the presidential candidate in the last elections, is expected to spearhead other meetings ahead of the NEC meeting.
This comes as agitations have mounted over the poor management of the party against the backdrop of allegations that it is being controlled by external forces, as alleged by former Benue State governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam.
Also, the North Central zone has called for Damagum to relinquish the acting national chairmanship seat and allow the emergence of a substantive national chairman from the region to which the party originally zoned the position in 2021.
A former Senate President, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State (North Central) had emerged national chairman at the party’s last convention.
But Damagum, deputy national chairman (North), who hails from Yobe State (North East), was made acting national chairman in 2023 after a court order removed Ayu from office.
It would be recalled that some governors and party chieftains openly worked against Atiku as PDP presidential candidate in 2023 and also recently reiterated their resolve to support President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.