Atiku Vs Wike: Top PDP Leaders Clash Over 2023 Election, Party Crisis

At a heated conference in Abuja, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed over who is responsible for the ongoing crisis within the party, which has persisted since its presidential primary ahead of the last general election.

The PDP, Nigeria’s main opposition party, has been embroiled in internal strife since the controversial primary election. The party’s internal disputes have been widely blamed for its defeat in the general election by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

During the conference titled “Fix PDP to Fix Nigeria,” held on Tuesday in Abuja, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, a member of the House of Representatives, pointed fingers at Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former governor of Rivers State, as a key figure responsible for the PDP’s crisis.

Ugochinyere also accused the PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, of contributing to the party’s downfall.

“When I arrived here, I saw the theme ‘Fix PDP to Fix Nigeria,’ which is fantastic. But before we can fix Nigeria, we must first fix ourselves, starting with leadership struggles,” Ugochinyere said. “We cannot ignore the truth. If we don’t address these internal issues, the public will continue to laugh at us.”

He further added, “What is Damagum still doing as the national chairman of the party? As for Wike, he’s now running errands for the APC. We know where his loyalty lies.”

The lawmaker added: “Like basic constitutional responsibility, Article 45 and 47, a tradition that we have maintained over the years. We find it difficult to speak the truth. What is Damagum still doing? And I ask you here now, as the national chairman of the party. So let’s leave Wike out of it. Wike has taken a job to run an errand for APC. So we already know where he belongs.”

In contrast, the PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, placed the blame for the crisis squarely on the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Abdullahi argued that Atiku’s actions had deepened the fractures within the party, which the current National Working Committee (NWC) has had to contend with.

“We inherited these problems. We are not in Wike’s pocket, as some have alleged. Atiku Abubakar bears a significant share of the responsibility for the troubles we are facing today. He played a major role in bringing the Buhari administration into power and later resurfaced to contest again. Despite rallying behind him, his indifference to the threats from five governors on the eve of the election weakened the party,” Abdullahi said.

He went on to accuse Atiku and the party’s former chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, of working against the party’s interest.

“The problems we are grappling with today were not created by this NWC but inherited from those who failed to address them in the past,” Abdullahi said.

The escalating blame game within the PDP highlights the deep divisions that continue to plague the party, raising concerns about its ability to recover and reposition itself ahead of future elections.