Atiku’s memo to PDP sparks speculations over 2023 presidential ambition

A recent memo by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sparked speculations about his intention to vie for the party’s presidential ticket in the 2023 general elections.

Although Atiku was silent on his purported 2023 ambition in the said the memo dated June 29, 2021, the content is being linked to his presidential ambition in the media and political space.

An online platform, Ripples Nigeria, which published the memo verbatim on Saturday, reported that it was the former vice president’s notice to the PDP of his intention to seek the party’s presidential ticket in the next election.

Atiku had, in the memo, expressed profound gratitude to members of the party for the massive support given him during the 2019 elections and stated that the party was now better equipped to win the 2023 poll.

Among others, he stated in the memo that Nigeria is in the intensive care unit and called on the PDP to team up with him to undertake the needed drastic surgery for a new political and economic order that would lead to the radical reinvention of the country.

The memo reads in part: “It is with utmost respect that I convey to you, my deep appreciation and profound gratitude for the overwhelming support and massive electoral votes cast to support our party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and my candidature for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the 2019 general elections.

“Now, we are better equipped, and all our compatriots must team up today towards a new political and economic order that should radically reinvent our beloved country.

“We are fully prepared to work in synergy to restore hope, pull Nigeria back from the brinks and relive the patriotic spirit of our founding fathers! I believe that together we would rebuild our broken fences, mend our cracked walls, restore hope, and return Nigeria to the path of greatness again. Surely, we can, and we must.”

But in a swift reaction, Atiku’s media adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, dismissed the insinuation contained in Ripples Nigeria report, accusing the online platform of peddling speculation in an attempt to set an agenda for the media.

In a telephone chat with The Nation on Saturday, Ibe said when the time comes for Atiku to signify his intention to contest, he would not do so secretly through a blogging site.

dmitting that the memo truly emanated from his principal, he said there was nothing in it that suggested that it conveyed his principal’s intention to vie for the PDP ticket.

According to him, there was nothing in the memo that Atiku had not said before, adding that former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other prominent Nigerians have expressed similar views on the polity.

Ibe said: “Have you read the memo? Now tell me where Atiku indicated interest in the 2023 PDP presidential ticket. You should know that when the time comes for him to make his intention known regarding the 2023 election, he will not do so secretly through a blogging site.

“The media and senior editors should not allow bloggers to set agenda for them. The memo speaks for itself and the contents were written in simple English that everyone can read and understand”.