There are indications that Nigeria’s ex-Vice Presiden,t Abubakar Atiku, and the All Progressive Congress (APC) bigwig, Bola Tinubu, might quit the party and join forces for 2019, a report from our source alleged.
This follows the feud between Tinubu and APC National Chairman John Oyegun. It’s reported that both men were slighted by other party bigwigs in the events leading to Yahaya Bello emerging governor of Kogi state.
The events of the recent Ondo governorship primary widened the crack between Tinubu and other party chiefs, the report said, as the delegate list was manipulated with Tinubu losing out. Furthermore, Odigie-Oyegun sent a name to INEC as the party’s candidate despite an appeal committee nullifying the primary result.
This infuriated Tinubu, with Atiku drumming support for him. “You cannot break your own rules without creating problems,” he said. Both men are now forming an alliance, it’s said.
“Tinubu is having a serious realignment with Atiku on the possibility of pulling out with their teeming supporters if President Muhammadu Buhari continues to look the other way,” a source reportedly said.
“I can tell you that there is an ongoing political alliance between them. If they (Tinubu and Atiku) cannot remain relevant in the APC, they are likely to come up with a new political party unless the current situation is brought under control.”
The source said Atiku himself is nursing an injury inflicted on him by the party’s hierarchy. “Atiku himself is aggrieved. He had wanted to become the chairman of the BoT of the party, but that was scuttled. He is, therefore, cashing in on the current crisis to realign with Tinubu.”
The alliance between Tinubu and Atiku may well be yielding results as 12 APC governors are said to have indicated their readiness to go with them.
(Source: Daily Trust)
