PDP leaders meet after Supreme Court victory, vow to run out APC in 2019

Members of the party's National Expanded Caucus met in Abuja on Monday night, July 17, to forge a national movement against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2019 elections.

It was gathered that the meeting was one out of three to be held by three different organs of the party before it fixes a date for its national convention.

The Monday's meeting was the first time the party members gathered since the Supreme Court sacked the Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction that had laid claim to the national leadership the party for nearly a year.

Speaking at the meeting, former president Goodluck Jonathan said the party's expansion is key, adding that more importantly a stronger PDP has to be built first.

"First thing to do is to build the party because a strong party is the key to expansion. A strong party acts like a magnet and will attract all the people. Nigerians still believe in the PDP. So many people including non-politicians were happy at the PDP victory in Supreme Court," Jonathan said.

The former President stressed that the PDP remains the largest party that could unite Nigeria.

The Chairman of the party's National Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi, who also spoke at the meeting, said some key politicians from different political parties have already indicated interest in defecting to the PDP since the apex court's verdict on the party's protracted leadership tussle.

He commended the members of the party for "being unyielding in their faith on the judicial system."

"This hall will not contain us by the time they start to come back to the PDP. I will not tell you who they are or where they are," the former governor of Kaduna State said.

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Some of the party leaders present at the meeting included Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu and a former President of the Senate, David Mark.

Others were Governors of Rivers, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Gombe states.