PDP has abandoned Nigerians - Atiku •Declares for APC in Yola today

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has abandoned Nigerians, the very people who gave it life and many electoral victories.

The former presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress (AC) also said he had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) because PDP had derailed from the vision and mission of its founding fathers.

This came as he urged his supporters, friends and political associates nationwide to join APC and register with the party once its registration of membership commenced.

The development was contained in a statement he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Sunday.

Atiku said his resignation letter as a member of PDP would be delivered to the party formally today, ahead of his formal declaration for APC in Yola, Adamawa State, also scheduled for today.

One of the aides of the former vice president disclosed to the Nigerian Tribune that “all roads lead to Yola, Adamawa State capital, for the much-awaited public declaration for APC by Atiku today.”

The source did not, however, state whether or not national leaders of the party would be on hand to receive the former vice president, but the presence of the state governor, Murtala Nyako, at the official declaration was confirmed.

Atiku, in his statement, said his decision to dump the party was as a result of the recent visit of leaders of APC to him on how to salvage the nascent democracy from total collapse, as well as the feeling and the yearning of Nigerians during his just-concluded nationwide consultations.

According to him, “following the extensive consultative process, I have, therefore, decided to cast my lot with APC, a party of change committed to the improvement of the lives of our people and to the continued existence and development of Nigeria as one indivisible country.

“My resignation letter as a member of PDP will be delivered to the party tomorrow (today),” he added.

The former vice president said “let me emphasise that this is not about me. We have to have a country before people can aspire to lead it, but as it is today, we may be losing this country. That is not acceptable.

“The process of building a nation and securing and deepening democracy is, indeed, difficult. There would be alignment and realignment of political forces. There would be ups and downs and zig-zags, triumphs and challenges.  Amidst all that, patriots must remain focused and do what has to be done to save and build the country and serve our people better.”

He promised to do all within his powers to help APC win elections all over the country and bring true change to the country and its people.

“In 2006, as a result of my firm stand in defence of our constitution and democracy, my supporters and I were pushed out of PDP, a party that we worked tirelessly with other compatriots to build as a vehicle to restore democracy to our country.

“We later returned to that party in 2009 when a new leadership of the party and the country promised a new direction, a direction of inclusiveness, of internal democracy, of an end to impunity, adherence to the rule of law and respect for the dignity of members and Nigerians.

“Sadly, however, those promises have not been kept. In addition, the PDP continues to be beset with many crises, mostly leadership-induced crises.

“It has since lost touch with Nigerians and efforts made by many well-meaning members and stakeholders to bring it back to the vision of the founders have been rebuffed.  

“To demonstrate the seriousness of the challenges and bring public attention to it, I and some other leaders and stakeholders staged a walkout during the party’s last convention in Abuja.

“As I speak, most of the issues that led to that walk-out are yet to be addressed. Many founding members of the PDP, including me, continue to be marginalised and excluded from the affairs of the party.

“For instance, as a former vice president, I am, by virtue of the PDP constitution, a member of the party’s Board of Trustees and its National Executive Committee. However, I am not invited to the meetings of those organs or consulted on their decisions, apparently because I dared to exercise my right to contest in the party’s primary election for a chance to be its standard-bearer in the 2011 election

“We have, therefore, concluded that the party cannot be redeemed. In short, the PDP has abandoned Nigerians, the very people who gave it life and many electoral victories.

“More worrisome though is the danger posed to the continued existence of this country by this culture of impunity and arbitrariness.

“We continue to have threats from officially protected political extremists. Increasingly, our people are recklessly being divided along the lines of religion, ethnicity and region for political gains. Our history and that of many other countries in Africa and Eastern Europe ought to teach us that this is very dangerous and must stop.

“We can and we must do better. Our people deserve better. It is against this background that we should understand the visit by the leaders of the APC and their invitation to me to join hands with them to save the country.

“Consequently, I have been consulting my supporters and associates, my family and friends for the past few weeks. My decision may not satisfy some of my friends and associates. In the end, however, I have to put the interest of our country first.

“This country has done so much for me personally and it deserves all that we can do to help rebuild it and serve our people better,” he said.