PDP NWC Not Responsible For Jonathan’s Defeat — Olisa Metuh

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s National Publicity Secretary, Chief

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has rejected suggestions that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) should be held responsible for President Goodluck Jonathan’s defeat in the March 28 presidential election.

Metuh made the position known while addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, as fresh disagreements continued to emerge within the PDP over the party’s performance in the recently concluded general elections.

According to him, the party leadership was not sufficiently involved in the presidential campaign and should therefore not be blamed for the outcome of the election.

He claimed that several recommendations made by the NWC were ignored by those responsible for coordinating the campaign.

“We did not lead the party to failure. We were not involved in the campaigns and our advice was ignored,” Metuh said.

He further argued that the style of campaign adopted by the Presidential Campaign Committee contributed to the party’s defeat.

“If we had handled the campaign, Mr. President would have won the election. We cannot be held responsible when our advice was ignored,” he added.

Metuh’s comments come amid growing disagreements among PDP leaders over what went wrong during the presidential election, which saw the party lose the presidency to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after 16 years in power.

Since the election, various members and supporters of the PDP have offered different explanations for Jonathan’s defeat, with some pointing to campaign strategy, internal disagreements and alleged anti-party activities.

Others have argued that the party’s defeat resulted from a combination of factors rather than the actions of any single individual or group.

The latest comments by Metuh are expected to add another dimension to the ongoing debate within the PDP as the party begins to assess its performance and considers how to rebuild following its electoral setback.

With pressure mounting on the party leadership, attention is now focused on the outcome of the internal discussions and any decisions that may emerge from the PDP’s post-election review.