The PDP Survival Movement (PDPSM) has criticized the former Vice President, 2019 and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for allegedly being behind the dilemma the party is facing.
PDPSM accused Atiku Abubakar of nonchalant attitudes towards party maintenance and sustainance. The group alleged that, Atiku Abubakar is only interested on how to take party tickets, promote his ambition and harvest PDP members to go form coalition for his presidential ambition in 2027, just as he did in 2014/15, seemingly failing to provide the needed leadership and support for the party.
Addressing newsmen on Saturday in Kagarko town headquarters of Kagarko local government area of Kaduna State, the PDPSM president, Timothy Sarki questioned Atiku’s genuine loyalty to PDP, and also condemned the faceless PDP Stakeholders Forum (PDPSF) and Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) for accusing the Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, along side the National Legal Adviser Adeyemi Ajibade SAN, of receiving the sum of $2m from Barr. Nyesom Wike to ensure the 27 Rivers state lawmakers do not lose their seats and also aiding the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in its efforts to establish a one-party state in Nigeria.
Sarki pointed out that, Atiku has not been supportive of the party financially for the maintenance and sustenance of the National Secretariat, knowing fully well that, the APC led federal government has inflicted Nigerians with hardship and the party is not in power at the national level. And that, the claims that the Acting National Chairman and National Legal Adviser received $2m to do Wike bidding and is aiding one party system is nonsensically laughable. They are ill informed and are sponsored by those interested in the National Chairman’s position and the ruling party. It’s an illusion that is degenerating to delusion for someone to think that Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum will undermine his own leadership and tenure as Acting National Chairman.
“The former Vice President and Presidential candidate of our great party His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s, loyalty to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is questionable because, he is only interested in using our great party as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to achieve his ambition and harvest PDP members to form a coalition and doesn’t care about the party at all. Please ask when last did Atiku send relief materials during festive seasons to staff and Also ask when last did Atiku contributed to the running cost of our great party National Secretariat amongst other things?”
“These are things, Seyi Makinde, Bala Muhammed and others are doing to keep the party afloat today, thanks to them. Although, not by constitutionality but by operationality, Atiku is the leader of our great party but his leadership is not felt because, he is an absentee leader who has failed woefully in providing leadership for PDP. He stays in Dubai and come only when the process leading to party congresses and conventions commences, ultimately working towards taking the party ticket,” Sarki Stated.
He further used the opportunity to counter, condemn and dismiss the claim by the so called PDP Stakeholders Forum (PDPSF) and Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) that, Ambassador Iliya Umar Damagum, along side the National Legal Adviser Adeyemi Ajibade SAN, collected $2m to do Barr. Nyesom Wike’s bidding as regards the defected Rivers assembly members and is aiding the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in its efforts to establish a one-party state in Nigeria, and therefore, call for his resignation or removal as National Chairman.”
Sarki while quoting Abraham Lincoln, P. Syrus and the acts of war to buttress his defence, said “Our great party, PDP, is the only party in Nigeria others are subsidiary and the coming together of strange bird fellows. And the claims of the so called PDP Stakeholders Forum (PDPSF) and Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), is a display of their ignorance of the person of the acting national chairman.”
He emphasized that, “Damagum is one of the few finest leaders we have in PDP that has been a member, leader and financier of the party since 1998 in Yobe state and at the national even before he became national chairman and no amount of propaganda of him collecting $2m from Wike or aiding APC to drive Nigeria into a one party state can detire we the well meaning legacy members of our great party to support him to unite PDP. And remember he inherited a fragmented and fractured PDP occasioned by irreconcilable greed and personal interest of some leaders after the 2023 general elections, and he cannot go to war with such troops without reconciling and uniting the troops and it’s commands and that’s why, his focus presently is on uniting the party.
“Remember Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot Stand” and Publilius Syrus said, “Where there is unity, there is always victory”. While in the book, The Arts of War, puts it this way, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” So, you can see why as a party, we need to put our house in order before going out to engage in any battle with the ruling party and that is what the Acting National Chairman is doing and that’s why the propaganda against him are failing.”
However, the group while commending the Acting National Chairman for doing his best in keeping the party together, urged the old Bridgette politicians to go on retirement leave.
“We commend the Acting National Chairman for putting in his best in keeping our great party together and urged the old Bridgette politicians to step aside by going on retirement leave so the young once can grow. Most of our older leaders have even stepped aside in their private business for their children or business partners to take over, while failing to do same with PDP and be giving advice to the young ones time to time.