Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is working with some senior members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to undermine internal cohesion and weaken the opposition’s chances of presenting a united front.
In an interview with BBC Hausa, Atiku said the lingering crisis within the PDP had been difficult to resolve because certain influential figures in the party were allegedly collaborating with the APC-led government.
“Some senior members of the party were allegedly being used by the government to further destabilise the party, and we could see that in their actions and utterances,” Atiku stated.
He explained that although he had played a significant role in the PDP over the years, he lacked the authority to impose decisions on the leadership.
“I was an influential person in PDP but I couldn’t fix it because I was not the chairman or secretary. I have called them, and sat with them to have dialogue. Sadly, the people occupying those positions have different interests that are mostly personal to them,” he said.
The former Vice President stressed that he should not be blamed for failing to resolve the party’s leadership crisis. “If I had the chance to fix it and didn’t, that’s when one could say I failed,” he added.
Atiku also confirmed that he is now working within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) alongside other stakeholders to build a strong political structure ahead of the next general elections.
On whether he intends to contest for the presidency under the ADC platform, he responded cautiously: “When the time comes, we shall see.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, Atiku acknowledged modest gains in areas such as education, transportation, and road infrastructure but stressed that the country remains far from achieving its full potential.
