Count me out of PDP crisis – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said he has no hand in the leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His Special Assistant on Public Communication Phrank Shuaibu told The Nation that Atiku is not in any way part of the crisis in the party.

The PDP was hit with suspensions and counter-suspensions necessitating the intervention of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Board of Trustees and PDP National Reconciliation Committee last week.

Analysts believe the crisis has to do with the long-drawn differences between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Atiku.

Neither Atiku nor Wike was invited to the Tursday’s meeting which Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Bala Mohammed described as ‘a meeting of all of PDP’ stakeholders.

There are fears the internal frictions may blow open once more at the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled for November 28.

However, when asked if the Atiku camp is involved in plans by some PDP members to recruit lawyers and approach the courts towards vacating Justice Peter Lifu’s order that stops party organs from removing embattled acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, Shuaibu said any suggestion that Atiku may be involved in any crisis within PDP was bizzare.

“Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar believes in due process and he has been focused on how to build the PDP into a more formidable Party and he completely has no hand in any crisis that would rather draw the party backwards.

“It is extremely farfetched and unfair to insinuate that Atiku has any involvement with any individual or group’s plans to brief lawyers and go to court towards vacating Justice Peter Lifu’s judgement,” Shuaibu stressed.