A former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, on Sunday announced his resignation from the Peoples
Democratic Party.
Abubakar said his resignation letter
would be delivered to the PDP on Monday (today).
He also said, in a statement he
personally signed, that he was joining the opposition political party,
the All Progressives Congress.
The statement came after the nationwide
consultation that the former Vice-President embarked on in the last few
weeks.
The consultation was as a result of the
visit of the APC leaders to his Abuja residence on December 18, 2013.
The APC leaders had asked him to ditch the ruling party.
In the statement, Abubakar listed some
of the grievances he had against the PDP to include the refusal of
the leadership of the party to listen to his numerous complaints.
For example, he said that in 2006, he
and his supporters were pushed out of the PDP, a party they worked
tirelessly with other compatriots to build as a vehicle for restoring
democracy to our country.
But he said they later returned to the
PDP in 2009 when a new leadership of the party promised a new
direction.
Abubakar, however, regretted that this
was not done.
Abubakar said, “Sadly, however, those
promises have not been kept. In addition, the PDP continues to be beset
with many crises, mostly leadership-induced crises.
“We have, therefore, concluded that that
party (PDP) cannot be redeemed. In short the PDP has abandoned
Nigerians, the very people who gave it life and many electoral
victories.
“It has since lost touch with Nigerians
and efforts made by many well-meaning members and stakeholders to bring
it back to the vision of its founders have been rebuffed.
“To demonstrate the seriousness of the
challenges and bring public attention to it, I and some other leaders
and stakeholders, staged a walkout during the party’s last convention
on August 30.”
Those, who joined in the walkout
included Governors Aliyu Wamakko(Sokoto); Sule Lamido(Jigawa); Rotimi
Amaechi (Rivers); Aliyu Babangida(Niger); Abdulfatai Ahmed(Kwara );
Murtala Nyako(Adamawa) and Rabiu Kwakwanso(Kano).
The seven governors, except Aliyu and
Lamido, have joined the APC.
In the statement on Sunday, Abubakar
said it was also worrisome that PDP’s culture of impunity and
arbitrariness posed a great challenge to the continued existence of
Nigeria.
He said, “We continue to have threats
from officially protected political extremists.
“Increasingly, our people are recklessly
being divided along the lines of religion, ethnicity and region for
political gains. Our history and that of many other countries in Africa
and Eastern Europe ought to teach us that this is very dangerous and
must stop.”
Abubakar, who in 2007 dumped the PDP
for the defunct Action Congress, said it was against this background
that he decided to join the APC.
He added, “I have been consulting my
supporters and associates, my family and friends for the past few
weeks. My decision may not satisfy some of my friends and associates.
“In the end, however, I have to put the
interest of our country first. This country has done so much for me
personally and it deserves all that we can do to help rebuild it and
serve our people better.
“Following this extensive consultative
process, I have, therefore, decided to cast my lot with the APC, a party
of change committed to the improvement of the lives of our people and
to the continued existence and development of Nigeria as one indivisible
country. My resignation letter as a member of the PDP will be
delivered to the party tomorrow(today).”
Abubakar defended his decision to join
the APC, saying that the struggle for democracy, constitutionalism and
service to the country and its people were paramount in his mind.
He encouraged his associates and
friends to join the APC “so that together, we can change this country
for the better.”
He said he would do all within his
God-given powers to help the APC win elections all over Nigeria and
bring true change to our country and its long-suffering people.
When contacted, the National Publicity
Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the party was yet to be
informed.
He promised that the PDP would react as
soon as it was officially informed.
Expectedly, the APC expressed its
happiness within the defection, saying that it was apparent that the PDP
would feel the absence of the former vice-president.
The Acting Interim National Publicity
Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told our correspondent
that Abubakar would be an asset to the opposition party.
He said, “He is welcome into the
progressive fold. It is apparent now that the sinking ship of the PDP is
gone. Very soon, those managing the affairs of the party would know
that they are alone.
“I want to appeal to well-meaning
Nigerians to also borrow a leaf from those that have escaped from the
sinking ship and move to the APC.”
Meanwhile, the Coalition of
Progressive Democrats, has hailed Abubakar’s decision to join the APC.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on
Sunday, the spokesperson for the CPD,Chief Oladimeji Fabiy, said the
former vice-president had “nothing doing is such a dead political party
like the PDP.”
Fabiyi, who is also the National
Coordinator of Turaki Vanguard, added that the PDP lacked ideas as a
party that was prepared to take the nation to the next level.
He said that the new National Chairman
of the PDP,Alhaji Adamu Muazu, was not in the position to bring any
meaningful change to the troubled party.
Fabiyi said, “Muazu is not going to be
the solution to all the crises in the PDP. The PDP is several miles
back.”
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