Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, has encountered resistance in his attempts to win Goodluck Jonathan’s support in resolving the party’s conflict.
Following Jonathan’s lackadaisical response to the PDP problem and the presidential campaign in general, Atiku and Ifeanyi Okowa, his running mate, paid a “peace mission” visit to Jonathan’s Abuja house on the evening of November 17.
After failing to win reelection in 2015, Jonathan, who was elected vice president in 2007 and president in 2011 on the PDP platform, has been a party backbencher.
According to sources involved with the Thursday night discussion, Atiku expressed concern to Jonathan over the former president’s lack of involvement in PDP matters as the election season nears.
According to insiders, he pleaded for Jonathan to step in during the spat with PDP governors who support Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers state.
The governors of Abia, Benue, Oyo, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Uguwanyi are all publicly supporting Wike.
As a result of his camp’s insistence that Iyorchia Ayu quit as national chairman in compliance with the commitment made by Atiku himself, Wike has declined to support Atiku’s presidential campaign.
Since the president and the party’s national chairman should not be from the same region, Atiku and Ayu are both from the northern section of the nation.
The Atiku camp contends that the present system should continue up until a president is chosen.
“NO RESPECT.”
According to sources, Jonathan feels that the party, notably Atiku, has not treated him with respect.
One of the sources claimed, “Dr. Jonathan has never been invited to the Board of Trustees meeting.”
He has never been included in the party’s activities out of respect for him.
Dr. Jonathan has unexpectedly gained significance as the presidential election draws near.
Atiku allegedly told Jonathan that he had his complete support throughout his 2019 campaign for president, but the candidate stopped returning his calls once he received the nomination.
Furthermore, Dr. Jonathan’s nominees for the 2019 presidential campaign council were not chosen.
Not a single one of his nominees was chosen, the insider continued.
According to reports, Atiku asserted that he was unaware of Jonathan’s grievances and that he would bring them up with the party’s leadership.
THE PART OF ATIKU IN JONATHAN’S OUSTER
The presidential contender was also reminded of the part he played in the All Progressives Congress (APC) ousting the PDP from office in 2015.
In November 2013, Atiku and five PDP governors stormed out of the PDP national conference.
Later, they formed the APC with the help of three opposition parties.
The governors were Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rotimi Amaechi (Adamawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), and (Rivers).
According to the source, Atiku is currently dealing with a similar revolt and is seeking the assistance of Dr. Jonathan, who was once a victim of his own schemes, to help him put an end to the problem.
In an ironic turn of events, Atiku allegedly stated that the sole need for peace was for Jonathan to resign from the presidential campaign when Jonathan and Atiku met in 2014 at the Dorchester Hotel in London to ask for his assistance in resolving the PDP conflict.
“According to Dr. Jonathan’s aides, he ought to back Obi rather than Atiku because the latter has consistently shown him respect. Despite going after Dr. Jonathan’s wife and his former ministers, President Muhammadu Buhari has treated him with more respect than Atiku, the source claimed.
(TheCable)
