AC Accuses PDP Of Blackmailing Atiku With Posters

The Action Congress on Thursday reacted to the reported appearance of posters in certain parts of the country, urging former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to return to the Peoples Democratic Party, accusing the ruling party of being the mastermind of the development, aimed at blackmailing Atiku into returning to PDP.

The AC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and made available to our correspondent in Lagos, restated its decision not to join Yar'Adua's Government of National Unity, saying that nothing had happened since the decision was taken to make it reconsider the decision.

The party said it had observed, over some months, efforts by some unnamed people making unsubstantiated claims and pasting movie posters in many states over the impending return of Atiku to the PDP.

The party said it did not react immediately because it needed time to investigate the source of the stories and posters. "We can now state categorically that the posters were printed and pasted by the PDP to force Atiku's hand as far as returning to the PDP is concerned."

The AC said "In fact, getting Atiku back to the PDP has become the unwritten eighth agenda of the PDP. Despite all the clandestine efforts, however, we will like to say that the PDP has so far not formally approached Atiku, so he could not have said he will rejoin the PDP or not. That is the truth"

Explaining the clamour for Atiku's return to the PDP, the AC said it was due to the sudden realisation by the officials of the ruling party that it has become a one-man show.

The AC statement reads in part: "During the last Board of Trustees meeting of the PDP, Obasanjo dominated the proceedings from start to finish. It suddenly dawned on the members that unless someone with Atiku's clout is urgently brought back to the PDP, the former President will continue to treat the party as his personal fiefdom, the party said.

AC also denied insinuations that it might nominate candidates for the federal cabinet which is about to be reconstituted or reshuffled, saying "We refused to do so the first time, we are refusing to do so now.

"We will like to state categorically that even if the whole country is brimming with posters begging Atiku to return to the PDP, it will not cause AC to rescind the decision of its national executive in October last year not to be part of the GNU neither will it stampede Atiku Abubakar to rejoin the PDP."

October 17, 2008