… says ‘I’ve moved on’
Presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has ruled out reconciliation between him and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and other aggrieved governors of the party.
He said since reconciliation with Wike and his group was no longer feasible, he had since moved on from the issues posing a threat to the party’s chances in the 2023 elections.
Atiku, who spoke during an interview with VOA Hausa Service, said his team had yet to come to terms with Wike and the other aggrieved governors, but has since moved on.
No fewer than five PDP governors have insisted on change in the leadership of the party.
The aggrieved governors, while withdrawing from Atiku’s campaign team, gave the removal of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu as condition for peace to reign in the party.
One of the aggrieved PDP governors, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, recently publicly endorsed the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Wike on his part has continued to say PDP cannot win the 2023 presidential election without the support of the aggrieved governors.
But when asked questions about his disagreement with the governors, Atiku told the VOA that he doesn’t support Ayu’s removal as PDP national chairman, as leadership change in the party is currently impossible.
He said, “We are yet to resolve the matter. But we have moved on, I don’t have any worries about that anymore. And at this juncture, it’s improper to talk about leadership change in the party while elections are fast approaching. We have left that issue aside. It is now history as we have moved on.”
The PDP presidential flagbearer, however, expressed his commitment to tackling the security challenges confronting the country.
According to him, “We would confront this issue by convoking a constitutional review so that states and local governments, to whom we intend to give the imprimatur to run their security affairs, would be able to do so. But this requires a rejig of constitution.
“Before we embark on this, we intend to employ more boots on ground, especially in the area of policing and civil defence, all of which we want to equip properly.”
Atiku added that his administration would work closely with the judiciary to ensure speedy trial of offenders.
He, however, said his government would support the imposition of death penalty for terrorism-related offences.