2023 Presidency: PDP Speaks On Rift Between Atiku, Fintiri

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has refuted claims that there is a rift between its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State.

Naija News reports that there are claims that Atiku and Fintiri are at loggerheads over the outcome of the PDP presidential primary held in Abuja.

It is understood that loyalists of the former Vice President have accused Fintiri of backing Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State over his statesman.

Reacting to the claims, the Secretary of the Adamawa State chapter of the PDP, Idris Yahaya, said there is no rift between the two leaders, stressing that the relationship between both men remained cordial.

He admitted that there had been attempts to create problems between the two, adding that one of such attempts is the claim that Fintiri allegedly worked against Atiku at the Abuja convention.

Yahaya said that the rumours were the handiwork of self-serving politicians, who specialised in cooking up crises for their benefit.

He said, “There’s no issue between Atiku, inshallah the next in-coming President with Governor Fintiri. Everything is a fabrication, there’s no crisis between them. You know when you go to A and you did not get what you want, then you go to B and create confusion, then return to A and say this and that. Just like the allegations that Fintiri did not support Atiku but worked for Wike is a fabricated lie.

“We were there at the convention where Atiku emerged to become the flagbearer of the party. The governor was there, the party chairman, all of us were there, even though as party officials, we didn’t have votes. But the governor did everything humanly possible to ensure the former Vice President emerged and thank God he did emerge.

“All the delegates from Adamawa voted our flagbearer, Wazirin Adamawa, inshallah the incoming President of Nigeria. So reports of all this fabrication, insinuations that Governor Fintiri did not back Atiku are just the creation of those who want to cause friction between both men.”

He also stated that the PDP government would still retain power in the state despite the antics of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“In a political struggle, politicians will use any means to gain support and consequently get elected into office. So it’s a struggle, now, we have entered the last stage of the struggle, so they will use every available means to ensure victory for their candidate. So it is not unsettling the party. Because we are fully on ground,” he added.