A former member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Yusuf, has asserted that the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, is no longer a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Bellnews reports that the ex-lawmaker, while addressing Atiku’s current political standing, in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the 2023 presidential candidate of the PDP is currently part of the ongoing coalition talks.
He argued that the party must move beyond relying on individual figures to reclaim its electoral strength.
He said, “Atiku is out of PDP; he is in the coalition with a lot of people.”
Yusuf, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, criticised the decision to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the North.
The PDP chieftain blamed Atiku and poor leadership for the party’s 2023 presidential election loss.
He stated, “I blame Atiku for the 2023 election loss. If Atiku had not bungled the Obi relationship, if Obi had remained in PDP, and he had picked Obi as vice president, he would have won the election. Obi represented the southern agitations. Nigerians were looking for something different.”
Yusuf also lamented the recent defection of former Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressing regret that the 2023 campaign of the PDP heightened the grievances of party men.