APC Accuses Atiku of Triggering PDP Crisis, Defends Party Strength

By Kolawole Ojebisi

Atiku Blamed for PDP’s Ongoing Turmoil

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has pointed fingers at former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the root cause of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) lingering crisis. Felix Morka, APC’s National Publicity Secretary, made this assertion during a recent appearance on TVC.

Violation of Party Constitution

Morka accused Atiku of disregarding the PDP’s constitution by contesting the 2023 presidential election despite a zoning arrangement that favored southern candidates. “The problem in the PDP was Atiku’s obdurate refusal to abide by the convention of his own party and its constitution,” Morka stated.

He emphasized, “He had no business running for that election when, under their constitution, a southern candidate was mandated to run. He was the one who created the problem. So it wasn’t his nomination. He was at the root of the problem that the PDP is facing today.”

APC Defends Its Position Amid Defections

Addressing concerns about Nigeria potentially becoming a one-party state due to recent defections to the APC, Morka dismissed such notions. He asserted that the ruling party remains strong despite internal and external pressures.

“The APC today, clearly, in comparison to all of the other parties in the opposition, is holding its own. Our party is standing very strong and resilient,” Morka said.

Natural Challenges in Political Parties

The APC spokesperson acknowledged that every political organization faces challenges, stating, “A political party shouldn’t be that entity that is without its own internal challenges. What matters is how it deals with it—how the party manages those contradictions or internal conflicts of interest.”

APC Rejects Claims of Undermining Democracy

Morka strongly refuted suggestions that the APC is weakening democracy by accepting defectors from other parties. “There is no democratic idea or norms or system anywhere in the world where a party, a ruling party, is under obligation to build the opposition,” he argued.

He added, “Parties are in business to compete for power. That’s what they are supposed to do. That’s the idea behind any democratic system. So this suggestion that people come into APC, therefore APC is undermining democracy, that is ridiculous.”

Credit: New Diplomat