Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, has returned to Nigeria.
According to a story in the Daily Trust on Tuesday, the former vice president left the country shortly after meeting Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
According to reports, the PDP candidate traveled abroad to receive medical care, but Atiku actually went on a business trip, according to Atiku’s spokesman Paul Ibe.
The peace within the PDP has recently been threatened by a number of events, most notably the position taken by the camp of Governor Nyesom Wike, which calls for the resignation of Senator Iyioricha Ayu as party chairman.
Wike supported Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Lagos counterpart, when Atiku was away, which was considered as a blow to the party since Olajide Adediran, better known as Jandor, had been put forward.
“I will not come here,” Wike declared,
[quotation]”If Sanwo-Olu is not doing (well), even if he belongs to my party.”[/quotation]
[quotation]“If you belong to my party and you are not doing well in governance, you won’t see me. If you don’t belong to my party and you are doing well, you will see me. Good governance is what I stand for. I will not regret to say that I am in support of you (Sanwo-Olu) for the second term. Others should not waste their time.
“Look at the kind of project coming from this women’s group. Why would any reasonable person not support the Government that is encouraging this? Let’s also look at the kind of physical infrastructure being delivered in Lagos. This confirms Lagos as a State of excellence. There are some people who will come here; instead of them to continue to make Lagos improve, they will bring Lagos down. For me, I’m satisfied with what Sanwo-Olu has done and it doesn’t matter the party he belongs.”[/quotation]
In response to Wike’s support, Sanwo-Olu said that it was another instance of “politics without bitterness.”
In terms of projects and development, he said Lagos and Rivers’s states had learned from one another, and he added that both states would continue to work together on shared interests.
