PDP Crisis: ‘Only God Gives Power’ – Atiku Tells Supporters

Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar has reiterated his belief that political power is granted solely by divine authority, not by human intervention.

This statement was made in the context of recent disputes arising from the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 98th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

According to Punch, the remarks by the 2023 PDP presidential candidate were shared in a WhatsApp group chat with his supporters on Friday, following the contentious NEC meeting in Abuja.

The former vice president, who had contested six different times to become Nigeria’s president, but failed, said, “There is God. It is God that gives power, not anybody.”

Responding, one of his supporters on the social media group said, “This is very true, Sir, and this same God will answer your heart desires and ours too.

“When the day comes, we shall all be alive to celebrate together as one big family of good faith.

“All our hand work will not go to waste, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. We shall all walk and work together to witness the night. Victory shall be ours. It is well with you, Sir.”

Meanwhile, the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, has addressed the growing calls for the suspension of former Rivers State governor and current Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike and other members of the defunct G5 governors within the PDP over alleged anti-party activities.

He disclosed this in an interview with Punch on Friday, reacting to the resolutions reached at Thursday’s party’s NEC meeting and its North Central Zone leadership meeting held on Wednesday night.

Ahead of the two meetings, some top chieftains of the party, including former PDP governorship candidate in Kogi State, Senator Dino Melaye, had boasted that every top chieftain of the party accused of anti-party activities would get serious sanctions from the party’s NEC on Thursday.

On Thursday, however, the PDP NEC failed to comment on the alleged anti-party issues and retained the party’s former Vice Chairman (North), Umar Damagum, as the party’s acting national chairman until its next NEC meeting.

In his reaction, Arapaja said the party’s NEC cannot suspend both Wike and Ortom because it is not its duty to do so.

He said, “I think that is not part of the activities of the NEC. We have different committees like the reconciliation committee and the disciplinary committee. So we have internal mechanisms to deal with things like that. And then, they have never been accused; they have never been charged and they haven’t presented themselves for the disciplinary committee or anything. So, I don’t think that is for NEC to do.

“Whoever is alleging them of committing anti-party should forward their complaints to the disciplinary committee. That is just it. There are lots of mechanisms and processes that need to take place and things like that are not the duty of the NEC.”