PDP: We lost last election because Atiku was too cocky  –  Ex-lawmaker

By Folarunso Alagbede

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and former member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Yusuf, has blamed the loss of PDP in the 2023 general election on its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

While speaking on the violence that disrupted the party’s board of trustees meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, Yusuf said the opposition party might repeat its 2023 mistakes if care is not taken.

He said the PDP lost the 2023 election because its presidential candidate was too cocky.

According to him, the lingering crisis in the party is caused by the struggle for structure and power by some party members who are positioning themselves for the 2027 general elections.

“What you have seen ahead of 2027 is that people are struggling for structure, for who controls what, and to become the party’s candidate. They forget the fact that being a candidate alone does not make you president. We lost the last election because I feel our flag bearer was too cocky and so sure he was the next president,” Yusuf said.

The ex-lawmaker reiterated that the PDP is not playing opposition as it should, stressing that the crisis rocking the party is orchestrated by overambitious party members.

“The PDP is not playing opposition as it should because the PDP finds itself in the quagmire of over-ambitious men who believe they must always run for elections. A political party should be robust and not be about you running for election,” Yusuf said.

He stated that the violence that marred the BoT meeting was a manifestation of the struggle for control and power ahead of the next presidential primary.

It was gathered that Yusuf, who represented Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu constituency, admitted that the PDP’s internal mechanism for crisis resolution has failed, adding that the violence witnessed during the BoT meeting was a manifestation of the party’s leadership failure.