The Senior Special Assistant to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, has declared that the root cause of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) started with the selfish ambitions of Atiku Abubakar in 2003.
Olayinka said the PDP problem started when Atiku sabotaged the PDP efforts to win Lagos State.
He added that as the sitting Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku almost pushed his principal out of power, and it took Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to beg before he could get the ticket to serve for a second term in office.
Speaking during an interview appearance with Arise News, Olayinka said the issues in PDP were not too noticeable because the party was able to patch things up and remain in power.
He said: “I can tell you that PDP problems did not start with 2023 election, PDP issues started in 2003 when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as Vice President of Nigeria, frustrated the PDP effort to win Lagos State. That was how the problem started.
“You know, because we were able to patch on, remain in government, people did not notice. The problem went on to the extent that a sitting president, Obasanjo, literally had to beg his running mate to be able to pick his second term ticket. The problem started. it got to 2007, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as Vice President of Nigeria, under a PDP government, formed Action Congress, he was among those who formed AC and as a sitting Vice President, he contested election as President of Nigeria as candidate of Action Congress while still being Vice President, holding the mandate of PDP.”
Atiku’s Rebellion
The FCT Minister’s aide added that it was a rebellion led by Atiku that resulted in the loss of the presidential race by Goodluck Jonathan, who, at that time, was seeking a second term in office and eventually pushed the PDP out of power in 2015.
Olayinka recalled how Atiku joined the All Progressives Congres (APC) and gave his resources, including money and time, to ensure victory for the party at the expense of the PDP.
“It went on like that, 2014, because somebody was so desperate to contest the election and insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan will not have a second term, he led a rebellion, and I’m talking about Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, he led a rebellion that took PDP out of power in 2015.
“He led that rebellion. If Atiku Abubakar did not lead that rebellion of 2014, PDP will still be in power now. So how did PDP problem start?”
Olayinka added that after the loss of the election, some PDP leaders, such as Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose, stayed back in the party to rebuild it at the expense of their political futures, but Atiku simply retired to Dubai.
He said: “Now, the moment Atiku Abubakar was in APC in 2015, he camapigned for APC. His money, everything was spent to take PDP out of power. PDP lost election, some people including the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, took the battle, the task of rebuilding the party on their head, on themselves. They spent their money, they spent their time, they took risk at the expense of losing their seat as governors.
“Nyesom Wike, Ayo Fayose and all of them. Where was Atiku at that time? he was in Dubai. He came back in 2018 and returned to PDP, he picked the party ticket, he contested, lost election.”
Dubai Connection
Henzodaily reports Olayinka accused Atiku of always running to Dubai after losing elections, only to return every four years to take another shot.
“Now, after losing election, what do you do as a leader of the party? You stay back in the country to galvanize support, to lead the opposition, what did Alhaji Abubakar do? Alhaji Atiku Abubakar went to Dubai again. He was in Dubai for over two years. It was after two years that he came back to even start writing letters of appreciation to those who worked with him,” he said.
Dele Momodu Not Familiar With PDP History
Olayinka also took a jibe at media mogul, Dele Momodu, saying he does not know the history of how problems started in the PDP, hence, his wrong submissions in public.
“So when egbon Dele Momodu will come and say the problem started this time, he would be right because he was not in PDP when all these things happened,” the FCT Minister’s aide concluded.