Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party had failed the youths. His resignation has come with the usual attack from loyalists to the party he is leaving.
Abubakar stated that it was for the same reason he defected from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014. He emphasized that he and others, who joined the ruling party, felt the party was willing to make positive changes for the country, but regretted that they fell for a mirage.
The former Vice President pointed out that while other parties have purged themselves of the arbitrariness and unconstitutionality that led to fractionalisation, the APC has adopted same practices.
“Can you blame us for wanting to put a speedy end to the sufferings of the masses of our people?”
Abubakar says he would take time to ponder over his political future. However, he has not issued any statement concerning joining a new political party.
APC shows Maturity
Reacting to his resignation from the APC, spokesperson for the party, Bolaji Abdullahi said the party had not been officially informed, of the resignation by the former Vice President.
Abudullahi stated that the move by Atiku Abubakar is surprising, but added that politics is about interest, noting that if the former Vice President feels his interest is better served elsewhere, the Party wishes him goodluck.
On the reasons Abubakar gave for resigning, Abdullahi said the task of building a political party takes many years, emphasizing that the APC will improve continually till it achieves a strong political party.
PDP is careful
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has also reacted to the resignation of the former Vice President, saying Atiku and others who defected to the APC were deceived because the PDP had challenges then.
PDP’s spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye explained that the PDP has the capacity to accommodate anyone who is still interested in being a member of the party, but noted that it must be without any precondition.
“The PDP is a democratic party. If you come in, you are free to contest elections once you meet our constitutional requirements, but we can’t give our ticket to anybody like that”.
El-Rufai’s subtle shade
Meanwhile the Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai says there is nothing surprising about Atiku Abubakar’s resignation, adding that he has changed political parties a few times.
“We knew he was going to leave in December, but he has left in November, which is good, because the earlier he left for where he belongs, the better”.
“Before the 2019 elections, if the situation changes and he thinks he can get the ticket in 2019, he will come back. That is what he has done a few times”.
El-Rufai pointed out that no Governor will go with the former Vice President adding that even if Abubakar contested under other parties, he is not a threat to President Muhammadu Buhari who has been endorsed to contest a second term by all the APC Governors.
He also referred to Abubakar’s reference to the leaked memo, written by him in 2016, calling on the President to reach out to aggrieved members of the Party, stating that others still belong to the party because they believe in the direction of the party.
“Well, I won’t even say we were in the APC together. Some of us formed the APC, some of them joined because they thought that the APC was a platform for which they would contest the elections, but when they didn’t get the opportunity, they started looking around.
“The former Vice President is always looking for an opportunity to contest. He is a serial contestant and we wish him luck”.
Ganduje still on the up and down
Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has reacted to the resignation of Atiku Abubakar from the APC, saying it is not surprising.
Ganduje said, “Atiku has his own freedom to choose whichever political party he wants to belong. He defected to the PDP. He was in the PDP before and another party, too.
“I think in a democracy, it is like that, as people can choose where they want to be and we are not committing any crime by choosing where we want to be”.
Nyesome Wike vs Rotimi Amaechi
Cross-carpeting among politicians in Nigeria, has created a number of enemies most prominent being the present Governor and immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesome Wike and Rotimi Amaechi who are both from different political parties, although the latter decamped from PDP to the ruling party.
The duo are known to trade words with each other. There was a clash between their convoy two weeks back in Port Harcourt and Wike said he was attacked by officers of the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) attached to Amaechi’s convoy while he was on a project inspection.
Amaechi however denied the claims, saying gun-toting security men attached to Wike’s convoy surrounded his car, threatening to shoot him. He added that a policeman attached to protect him in Port Harcourt was beaten and his rifle seized. The Minister also complained that his car was vandalised with a broken side mirror.
