Presidency Jubilates Over Atiku’s Defection from PDP to APC
Some senior officials of the presidency were on Monday in a celebration mood as the news of official defection of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was confirmed.
The officials who are close to President Goodluck Jonathan expressed joy over the news that Atiku submitted his letter resigning his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Adamawa State chairman of the party in Jada II, Jada Local Government Area of the state.
The letter was also copied to the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.
The former Vice President in his resignation letter obtained by NigerianEcho, wrote: “I write to formally inform you of my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) effective February 3, 2014. The attached press statement that was issued today outlines my reasons for resigning from the PDP.”
Reacting, a top member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP expressed his delight over Atiku’s defection, saying: “Gradually, the troublemakers are going one by one and we will now sit down and restructure PDP and reposition it for the 2015 general election. “You cannot go to war with a divided house and it is our expectation that with Atiku out, let the APC see what we have been tolerating for a long time.”
The Adamawa State chapter of the party, nonetheless, said the former vice-president’s defection to APC would have no effect on the fortunes of the PDP.
In the same vein, a senior presidency official who pleaded anonymity said the former Vice President’s departure was good riddance to an ambitious man. “We saw him as a pain in our neck as far as the presidential primary election of the PDP is concerned. But thank God, he is no more with us. Let him go.”
Despite the satisfaction expressed by the presidency and PDP, the former vice-president yesterday explained that he did not join APC to run for the presidency in 2015 but to nurture the opposition party and ensure that good governance is entrenched in Nigeria come 2015.
