There are strong indications that the Peoples Democratic Party has begun moves to reconcile with its former top members that defected to the All Progressives Congress before the 2015 general elections.
It was gathered that among those being wooed by the PDP was a former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankanso, and the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
The fresh moves, which began a week ago, formed part of the strategies the leadership of the former ruling party had mapped out to strengthen the PDP ahead of the 2019 elections.
The serious political shuttle, according to a Punch report, was also part of the action plan of the party ahead of its National Convention in May.
Kwankwaso, some former governors from the North and some Senators met behind closed-doors before the wedding (fatiha) of the daughter of a former Niger State governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Kure, in the Lapai area of the state on Sunday.
The agenda of the meeting was not disclosed to newsmen, who had laid siege to the venue of the wedding, but it was gathered that it is not unconnected with the current search for a northern candidate to fly the flag of the PDP in the 2019 presidential poll.
Some PDP supporters at the venue strengthened insinuations that Kwankwaso was being pressurised to come back to the PDP.
Some of his supporters, on sighting the top dignitaries coming out of the closed-door meeting, chorused, “Sai Kwankwaso, Sai Kwankwasia, Sai Kadawo PDP, insha Allah” meaning “Kwankwaso, you must come back to PDP.”
Those who attended the meeting included the Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibril; Kure; Ex-governor Babangida Aliyu; a former governor of Kano State, Mr. Ibrahim Shekarau; Senator Philip Tanimu Ajuda, Senator Smart Adeyemi and Senator Isah Mohammed.
None of the PDP chiefs agreed to speak to newsmen after emerging from the meeting as they headed for the Mosque for the commencement of the wedding ceremony.
The PDP BoT chairman confirmed that the party had zoned its Presidency to the North in 2019, saying the former ruling party was in search of a credible candidate for the race.
Jibril added, “We (PDP) have zoned the Presidency to the North but the Vice-President and other positions have not been zoned yet because we are still consulting.”
He stated that the party was on a reconciliation drive to ensure that all aggrieved members, including those that had left the PDP, returned to the party so that the PDP could win the 2019 presidential election.