APC, presidency jittery over Atiku’s emergence — PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is in panic mode over the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as PDP presidential candidate.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the claim while addressing a press conference, yesterday, in Abuja, in reaction to what he called “several comments and personal attacks” by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as well as other officials of the Buhari Presidency, against Atiku.

The party spokesman said it was understandable that President Muhammadu Buhari was afraid to face Atiku in the field due to what he called incompetence.

The PDP spokesman said inasmuch as the PDP remained committed to issue-based campaign ahead of the 2019 elections, it would not by any means “tolerate further lies and fabrications from the Buhari Presidency, particularly from agents who have no ethical substance to make allegations against any Nigerian”.

“Since the successful conduct of our presidential primary and the popular emergence of Atiku Abubakar, the Buhari Presidency and the APC have become intimidated; gone into panic mode and ignobly resorted to trading on rumour and spurious allegations, having failed in their evil machination to scuttle our presidential primary ab initio.

“The PDP is aware of how the unnerved and intimidated Buhari Presidency has unleashed its officials, spin doctors and hack writers with billions of naira, siphoned from our national treasury, to fabricate lies, spurious allegations and smear campaign against our presidential candidate,” he said.