Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has shed light on why he couldn’t resolve the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In a recent interview on BBC Hausa service, Atiku explained that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was using some PDP leaders to undermine efforts to create a strong opposition, thereby hindering his ability to fix the party’s internal issues.

He said, “Besides, that is one of the reasons we set up ADC, which I am a member of. We couldn’t achieve that with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because the APC government in power has decided to use some leaders of the party to frustrate efforts of having a strong opposition that could challenge the government.

“As the day went by, the crises in PDP were growing, and the hope of resolving it was speedily vanishing because some senior members of the party were allegedly being used by the government to further destabilise the party, and we could see that in their actions and utterances.

“I could have taken some firm decisions to fix the party if I was the chairman or secretary of the party or someone that listens to me was the chairman or secretary. Sadly, the people occupying those positions have different interests that are mostly personal to them.

“Regarding the ADC, our goal is to establish the structures of the party at the state levels. We have already established the national leadership and they are working on ensuring the state and local government structures are strengthened and ready for 2027 elections.”

On the 65th Independence of Nigeria, Atiku said the country had witnessed some changes but was far from what the founding fathers had dreamed of.

He challenged the Federal Government to rise to the occasion of fixing the country even though the country has lost hope in the ability of President Bola Tinubu to fix the country economically, politically, and otherwise.

He blamed President Tinubu for the growing poverty and suffering among the masses in Nigeria, linking it to the unplanned removal of the fuel subsidy in 2023.

“When I was vice president, we proposed that the fuel subsidy be removed in four phases, and we engaged relevant stakeholders, including the labour unions, all through the process.

“But President Tinubu’s decision to remove subsidy fully without plans to cushion the effect brought us this unprecedented pain, suffering and ultimately, poverty in this country. No country announces full subsidy removal once because it brings pain and poverty to the people,” he added.

The Reason Behind the Crisis

Atiku believes that if he were in a position of authority within the party, such as chairman or secretary, he could have taken decisive actions to address the crisis. However, he noted that the individuals occupying these positions have personal interests that conflict with the party’s well-being.

Atiku’s Goal

Atiku dismissed claims that he’s desperate to become president, stating that his primary concern is rescuing Nigeria from its current challenges. He emphasized that the country’s economic and political woes are largely due to President Bola Tinubu’s unplanned removal of fuel subsidies in 2023, which has exacerbated poverty and suffering among Nigerians.

New Coalition

Atiku also mentioned his involvement in the ADC, a new party aimed at establishing a strong opposition to challenge the APC government. The party’s goal is to build structures at the state level, with the national leadership working to strengthen state and local government structures for the 2027 elections.