The former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar may have quietly returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a quest to realize his longtime presidential ambition come 2019. Atiku who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the 2015 general elections was reported to have hijacked the Adamawa state ward congresses held last Saturday.
A chieftain of the PDP in the state and former Special Assistant to the Vice President, Dr. Umar Ardo on Tuesday called for the cancellation of the results of the congresses accusing Atiku of hijacking the party in the state. Ardo made the call on Tuesday in Abuja after submitting a petition to the Adamawa state PDP Congress Appeal Panel at the Wadata Plaza.
Speaking with newsmen, Ardo said;
“No election took place in Toungo, Ganye Mayo Belwa, Demsa, Numan, Shelleng, Yola North, Yola South, Mubi South, Michika and Madagali local government areas. The Caretaker Committee members representing these LGAs simply sat in their rooms and drew up their list and submitted their names as elected executive members and they were admitted. It’s an open secret that the members of the committee connived and simply sat down and distributed the party offices among themselves.”
On Atiku's involvement, Ardo said “he was involved directly. He called me to say that I should make sure certain persons get these positions. I disagreed. He has hijacked the PDP in the state.” He raised alarm that the return of Atiku to the PDP could be disastrous.
“There are also three disadvantages. We learnt that Atiku is coming back to the party with an ambition; an ambition to contest for the Presidency.
“Now that will be a source of conflict because there are others in the party who are also interested and they are nursing this ambition. There will be conflict among party members. Secondly, the deep pocket that Atiku has will not only serve that ambition; it will also deepen the conflict. The third disadvantage is that those foot soldiers will also serve the ambition and in the process deepen the conflict.”
Meanwhile, Atiku has debunked the claim. Speaking through his media aide, Paul Ibe, the former Vice President said “It is ludicrous to accuse a man who is not a member of a party of having hijacked the party structure."
