The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has publicly expressed regret for fielding former president, Goodluck Jonathan, as its sole candidate in the 2015 election. 
Addressing pressmen in Abuja on Tuesday, Raymond Dokpesi, chairman of the party’s rebranding conference, said PDP ought to have stuck to its zoning arrangement.
An arrangement which would have led to the emergence of a candidate from the north but Dokpesi said the PDP was aware of the “errors” and was making efforts to make amends.
“In 2010 and 2011, the party made the first round of mistake of not allowing the north to complete its term,” he said.
“That was when the party gave a special favour to the then president to complete the term of Yar’Adua. The same party came forward in 2015 and refused to return the party to allow the north to field the party’s presidential candidate.
“Zoning principles of the party were abandoned and a whole lot of other issues. The PDP is aware that there were errors made along the way. There was no internal democracy, there was impunity within the party and there was no level playing ground.
“The PDP is aware of these errors that were made along the way. We admit that at certain times in our past, mistakes have been made and that is why we are going to have Adamu Ciroma, Alex Ekwueme and some of the founding fathers who were hitherto alienated from the party at the conference. They will talk to us on charting the way forward.”
Dokpesi also appealed to Nigerians, saying: “We admit that we made mistakes and we have not met the expectation of Nigerians. We apologise to people whose toes we’ve stepped upon. So far, whatever the PDP has done against anyone, we tender an unreserved apology.”
