The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Umar Damagum, has assured members that the party will bounce in 2027.
Damagum handed down this assurance in Umuahia during the reception ceremony and the 76-year birthday of the chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara.
He said the party has resolved to take over government come 2027.
“With what we are doing, we will come back sound, healthy and victorious,” he said.
He then urged members to be more resilient as they will overcome the challenges.
Earlier, chief host of the occasion, and Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mba, said the celebrant “held sway during the glorious days of our party” and expressed his hope that Senator Wabara “will deploy his experience to engineer renaissance of the party”.
In his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion and governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde said the occasion was to celebrate a man Abia State donated to the PDP and prayed that in the next political dispensation in the country, “PDP will give birth to the next government in Nigeria”.
Makinde described the South East zone as important to Nigeria and encouraged them, saying, “No matter what you are going through at this stage. Please, don’t be discouraged.”
In his response, Wabara said, ” He has restored hope in the party Board of Trustees, BoT hence we now know that this party has conscience. This kind of occasion affords the party the opportunity to come together in the South East. You have gone through a lot. We are here to encourage you. The best of PDP is still ahead and in the future.”
Speaking on the occasion, the governor of Abia State, Alex Otti called for the observance of a minute silence for the five slain soldiers at Aba and described Wabara as a good man.
“It is difficult to be here following the situation criminal elements put us in”, he said stating that all, no matter party affiliation are his people and that his government does not discriminate and recognizes that “we are one and the same people”.
He regretted that some leaders of the PDP are sending messages that Abia is not safe, stating “Unfortunately, they are not here and may not be true members of PDP”.
Otti said he was going to visit families of some of the slain soldiers, assuring, “security agencies will smoke out the perpetrators of the act.”
In his appreciation speech, Senator Adolphus Wabara described the party as a family, stating. “all these people leaving will find their roots in the next two to three years.
Governors of Bauchi, Senator Bala Mohammed, his Edo counterpart, Godwin Obaseki and members of the PDP BoT and National Working Committee were at the occasion.