APC, Atiku bicker over 2023 presidency

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a former vice president Atiku Abubakar on Thursday "clashed" over the 2023 presidency.

The ruling party, in a statement, by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, alleged that Atiku, the 2019 presidential candidate of the PDP, was eyeing the 2023 presidency and had started early campaign.

APC also alleged that the former vice president was planning to ‘purchase’ PDP's presidential ticket to contest in the election.

It claimed that PDP bigwigs were jumping ship because the party is allegedly unable to run its national secretariat and pay staff salaries while its leadership is grappling with what it termed a crisis of confidence.

The ruling party said it was disheartening that the PDP, which is the leading opposition party in the country, was allegedly pushing Nigeria into a largely one-party state.

But reacting, the Special Adviser on Media to Atiku, Mr Paul Ibe, said focusing on Atiku would not improve the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or take the country out of the current recession.

"It will not create jobs for the youth of Nigeria. Focusing on Atiku will not solve the problem of inflation and high cost of food items; and neither would it lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

"It will not address the pervasive state of insecurity in the country and will not unite a nation that has been sharply divided like never before," he said.