The presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said that he did not lose the February 25 presidential election despite what the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would like Nigerians to believe.

Atiku said this Thursday at a reception and award ceremony organised by the PDP Governors Forum at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Also in attendance at the event themed “Good Governance at the Sub-national level: Issues, Perspectives, Expectations and Outcomes” were PDP governors-elect.

He urged party faithful to believe and remain focused on the task of recovering PDP’s “stolen mandate”.

According to Atiku, party members must also introspect and take stock of how the PDP lost its dominance.

“We have a number of challenges. We started as a dominant political party in 1999 and since then, we have been receding.

“I think it is time for us to take stock and find out why we are receding and how we can make sure that our eminent position as the leading political party in this country, as the oldest political party in this country, we regain our position.

“This is a very important challenge which I think requires a whole day seminar for us as a party to ensure that we regain our eminent position in the politics of this country and the whole of Africa,” the presidential candidate said.

He also congratulated all the governors-elect and those re-elected on the platform of the party.

Faulting the timing of the event, Atiku said, “next time, this kind of event can be organised earlier in the day to allow us more time so that all the issues, and challenges, facing the party can be discussed.”