Former Vice President and ex-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has denied reports suggesting he is set to defect from the party.
Atiku described the claims as an attempt to create confusion around an ongoing coalition effort among opposition parties.
Speculation has been rife that the former Vice President is finalizing plans to leave the PDP for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, his media office, in a statement on Saturday, dismissed the reports, insisting that he remains a committed member of the PDP.
“We have observed that some news platforms are peddling unverified information that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is abandoning the Peoples Democratic Party.
“We wish to clarify that the so-called news of Atiku defecting to another party is a total fallacy that holds no merit in logic,” the statement read.
The media office further emphasized that the coalition effort, which Atiku is spearheading alongside other political leaders, is meant to unify opposition parties, including the PDP.
“Hence, it is fallacious and unfounded to allege that the Waziri is jumping the PDP ship. Such an allegation is antithetical to the objective of the grand coalition, which the former Vice President is currently driving alongside other prominent political leaders in the country.
“We, therefore, wish to state unequivocally that Atiku remains a principal bonafide member of the PDP, the main opposition party,” the statement added.
The media office stressed that the defection rumors were aimed at misleading Nigerians and downplaying the significance of the coalition’s efforts to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next elections.
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