2015: Atiku Dumps PDP For APC

Naija News

01.02.2014, 10:21  Politics

Strong indications emerged yesterday that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will mid next week dump his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Saturday Vanguard gathered yesterday that the decision to take the action and leave the party was borne out of the frustration and humiliation the PDP has made him go through, just as he has concluded nationwide consultative tours of the six geo-political zones of the country where he brainstormed with stakeholders, leaders and supporters on his next political journey ahead of 2015 Presidential election.

A source at his Jabi office told Saturday Vanguard yesterday that Atiku Abubakar has concluded plans to leave PDP for APC.

Atiku had raised some grievances against the PDP and substantiated his marginalization of not being wanted, even as he stressed that he is a BOT member by right but he is not being called to its meetings and so does not attend, adding that he is a NEC member by right under the constitution, but he has been barred from its meetings because invitations are not given to him.

He also complained that by the norms of the party, he is entitled to being invited to its PDP caucus and said that Dr. Alex Ekwueme, a former Vice President gets those invitations, but he gets none of those, adding that he is not considered as a major stakeholder in taking decisions affecting the Adamawa State Chapter of the party.

In a statement he issued last week and titled, "The Challenges of a Decision," the former Presidential aspirant on the platform of PDP noted that he has begun consultation tour of Nigeria, Dubai and London, even as he said that there was what he termed a sustained effort by the party managers and government to entrench impunity and its lack of preparedness to open up the party for democratic competition.

He added that his decision to defect to APC may be borne out of the fact that Governors elected on the platform of PDP have already given an automatic ticket to President Goodluck Jonathan for his re-election bid.

Meanwhile, a statement from his office to Saturday Vanguard yesterday said that the former Vice President yesterday concluded his nationwide consultative meeting with that of the North-East geo-political zone in Bauchi.