Diasporans for PDP

For Immediate Release

Houston, Texas, USA

October 31, 2022

PDP Diaspora Summit Concludes in Houston – Atiku and Okowa Endorsed by PDP in Diaspora

The PDP Diaspora Summit went ahead as planned after near cancellation due to His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s inability to reach Houston from Washington DC to attend the planned event. The candidate and his entourage who had already arrived in the US were expected to attend the summit in Houston. News came just hours ahead of the event that the PDP flag-bearer was not going to make it to Houston.

Members had already travelled to Houston from Africa, Europe and North America before this late announcement. The members of Diasporans for PDP resolved to proceed with the second Civic Engagement Series and PDP Diaspora Summit as planned on October 29, knowing that the news of the candidate’s inability to make it to Houston was going to have a strong adverse effect on attendance.

“We decided to proceed with the event to shame the evil doers who call themselves PDP USA,” said the Founder and National Chair Hon. Mrs. Victoria Pamugo. “Since 2018 when Diasporans for PDP was founded, it and its leadership have faced incessant attacks from a comatose organization that existed in the name of PDP USA,” Hon. Pamugo said.

“Since 2018, PDP USA has not done any activities or events to support or promote any of the agendas of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They have no legitimate operation in the USA or anywhere else to support PDP and its objectives. All that the lazy leaders of the comatose PDP USA have done since 2018 is to attack any other organization that tries to work hard for the progress of our party in diaspora. Every time Diasporans for PDP has worked hard to put together an event to promote our party, PDP USA works to undermine our efforts. They contact participants directly, intimidate them, sow fear in them and discourage them from attending the event.”

“This time, as we prepared for the PDP Diaspora Summit in Houston, the short-sighted leaders of PDP USA planned to undermine our efforts once again, working for the opposition parties by sowing internal discord within PDP. They have spent the past two weeks spreading lies and false information about the summit, telling participants that the Houston event was not safe and that the candidates were going to be embarrassed by the so-called “Obedient People.” They even created fake Whatsapp accounts and messages to spread the lies. This false information reached His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his entourage who had already arrived in the USA and were expected to attend the event in Houston,” Hon. Pamugo said.

“Diasporans for PDP had no issues with the “Obedient People.” Moreover, we had already made every necessary arrangement to ensure safety and security of all visitors and participants both at the hotel and at the event venue,” Hon. Pamugo said.

The event went on as planned with Diasporans for PDP endorsing His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON, for President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023. They also endorsed his running mate, His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for Vice President.

Even though His Excellency, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Executive Governor of Sokoto State and DG, PDP 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, and Senator Dino Melaye, Spokesperson, PDP 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, joined the Houston summit virtually from Washington DC with 25 other people watching with them and commended and apologized to Princess Hon. Victoria Pamugo on behalf of the candidate, the damage was already done. PDP diasporans expressed dissatisfaction over the decision not to attend the summit in person based on fabrications from PDP USA.

“I am not happy. I am not happy!! If l say otherwise, I will be lying. Why should a group of jealous individuals somewhere who cannot organize anything for the party, PDP, be allowed to plan to stop such a well-organized and beautiful event from happening today in Houston, Texas? Why?” questioned one of the speakers, Nollywood Actress Rita Edochie, who travelled to the United States for the summit.

“Why? Is it because Victoria is a woman? In fact, God will not forgive all the people that planned and participated in cooking up these lies against this great woman to humiliate her and Diasporans for PDP," Rita Edochie said.

“Search for PDP USA online! Look everywhere and you will see they have no activities to support PDP. Since they are too lazy to organize themselves and work in favour of our party, let them get out of the way and stop attacking other organizations that are ready to make the sacrifice. We had a consensus at the summit and together we call on the Peoples Democratic Party leadership to deal with this issue once and for all so that next time we organize an event to promote our party, we will not have to worry that these bad actors called PDP USA will be lurking around the corner to throw a wrench and jam the wheel of progress,” Hon. Pamugo said.

Diasporans for PDP is a United States-based and registered non-governmental organization with membership including but not limited to Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

It is not a branch of any other organization anywhere in the world. We are lovers and members of the PDP, united by our desire to help PDP succeed in elections in Nigeria.

For more information or questions about the organization or the PDP Diaspora Summit, please visit: diasporansforpdp.com.

Signed:

Hon. Mrs. Victoria Pamugo, Founder/National Chair

Dr. Chidi Igwe, National Publicity Secretary

Dr. Farouk Souleiman, UK Coordinator