PDP Crisis: Why Atiku Is Not A Unifier As PDP Has Portrayed Him

• The PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, cannot be regarded as a unifier as the umbrella party has presented him to be
• Since the emergence of Atiku as the PDP presidential flagbearer, there has been a recurrent crisis in the opposition, and he has failed to arrest the issue
• A legal practitioner, Wale Adeagbo, said if Atiku is truly a unifier, he would have supported the call to move PDP chairmanship to the south

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been presented to Nigerians as a bridge builder ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

However, this proposition by the umbrella party and the supporters of Atiku may be far from the identity of a unifier based on unfolding events.

Since the emergence of Atiku as the presidential candidate of the PDP, the party has been divided more than before, and the former vice president has failed to step up the move to arrest the crisis, rocking the leading opposition party in Nigeria.

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Unfortunately, the presidential hopeful appeared to be taking sides in the matter, which is not supposed to be for someone who wanted to lead a multi-ethnic nation like Nigeria.

For instance, his emergence has concentrated all the positions in the PDP leadership hierarchy in the northern region of the country, a development the southern bloc has frowned at, which has resulted in calls for the resignation of the party’s national leader, Iyorchia Ayu.

Also, the current leadership structure of the PDP has completely sidelined the Southwest, which has resulted in the region’s leaders, such as Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state and Bode George, a former deputy national chairman of the party, demanding the chairmanship position to be zoned to the affected region.

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But the PDP presidential flagbearer seemed to be blind to the reality of striking the balance between the north and the south in the party’s structures and system in the Nigerian understanding while appearing to be taking sides.

A legal practitioner, Wale Adeagbo, reacted to the issue while speaking with Legit.ng, and said Atiku should have solved the problem in the PDP if he is a unifier.

His statement reads:

“If he is truly a unifier as he has claimed, he would be the first person to make sure the Chairmanship of the PDP goes to the South in line with the PDP Constitution.”

2023 Election: Atiku’s camp fingers unexpected loopholes in Tinubu’s visit to Afenifere leader, Fasoranti

Legit.ng earlier reported that the opposition condemned Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate endorsed by the Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

The camp of the Atiku/Okowa campaign organisation, through its spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, said the absence of Pa Ayo Adebanjo and others showed that the endorsement was faulty.

Bwala said the group should have invited other presidential candidates to hear their plans rather than endorsing inviting only Tinubu.

Source: Legit.ng