PDP hijacked our party –PDM

• Says Atiku not PDM leader
From ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, Kaduna
Leadership of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) has alleged that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hijacked its party at inception to form what is today known as PDP. This was even as PDM denied that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was its leader, adding however that, Atiku was a member of General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua’s inner caucus when he founded PDM.

This was part of the resolutions of a meeting of the Protem National Officers, Chairmen and Secretaries of PDM in the North West held in Kaduna on Thursday and Friday.
Reading the communique at the end of the meeting to newsmen in Kaduna yesterday, Kaduna State PDM Protem Chairman, Dr. Yasha’u Armiya’u condemned insinuations going round that, PDM was a pressure group, not a political party.
According to him, “the protem Chairmen and secretaries of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) met in Kaduna on the 14th and 15th of November 2013 to discuss the achievements, the progress and way forward of our party after the registration.
“Members are of the view that, a lot has been achieved so far. It is however agreed that is becomes necessary to to do away with those people who ignorantly refer to PDM as a pressure group instead of a political party”.
Speaking further on the party, Armiya’u disclosed that, PDM was founded by General Shehu Yar’Adua before his arrest in 1994, which saw to the election of Alhaji Lawal Kaita as its National President. “It was at this point that some of the people who were now claiming that PDM was a political pressure group even knew of the existence of the PDM. They literally hijacked the party and changed it to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“People should know that, founding members of the PDM right from the beginning established PDM as a political movement. It is now a registered political party under the able leadership of Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim. Those saying PDM is a pressure group must hands off”, he stated.
On Atiku, Armiya’u said though, the former VP cannot be totally detached from PDM, considering his closeness with the party founder, but Atiku was not PDM leader.