Atiku accused of hijacking PDP activities in Adamawa state

-Atiku Abubakar accused of hijacking PDP’s party structure in Adamawa state.

-The former vice president however, denied any such claims, stating he has left the party for good.

Atiku Abubakar denies any involvement in crisis rocking Adamawa state PDP.

Former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar, has been accused of influencing the activities of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his home state of Adamawa in order to use the platform to actualize his presidential ambition in 2019.

A PDP chieftain and former special assistant to ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Dr. Umar Ardo, leveled the accusation against him and further called for the cancellation of the results of last Saturday’s ward congresses in Adamawa State.

Ardo expressed his grievances while speaking with newsmen on Tuesday after submitting a petition to the Adamawa State PDP Congress Appeal Panel at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

He said, “No election took place in Toungo, Ganye Mayo Belwa, Demsa, Numan, Shelleng, Yola North, Yola South, Mubi South, Michika and Madagali local government areas. “The Caretaker Committee members representing these LGAs simply sat in their rooms and drew up their list and submitted their names as elected executive members and they were admitted.

“It’s an open secret that the members of the committee connived and simply sat down and distributed the party offices among themselves.”

Ardo said the former Vice-President “was involved directly. He called me to say that I should make sure certain persons get these positions. I disagreed. He has hijacked the PDP in the state.”

He also identified the disadvantages involved in allowing Atiku return to the PDP saying, “There are also three disadvantages. We learnt that Atiku is coming back to the party with an ambition; an ambition to contest for the Presidency.

“Now that will be a source of conflict because there are others in the party who are also interested and they are nursing this ambition. There will be conflict among party members.

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“Secondly, the deep pocket that Atiku has will not only serve that ambition; it will also deepen the conflict. The third disadvantage is that those foot soldiers will also serve the ambition and in the process deepen the conflict.”

But Atiku Abubakar, reacting through his media aide, Mr. Paul Ibe, described the allegation as untrue, stating he has left the PDP for good and has no hands in the problems of the PDP in his state.

“It is ludicrous to accuse a man who is not a member of a party of having hijacked the party structure. Whoever is making this allegation has to look elsewhere for their failings,” Ibe said.

Atiku Abubakar, had decamped to the All Progressives Congress before the 2015 general elections in the country.