Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he is not against his associates joining or seeking registration for new parties, despite the fact that he remains a loyal member of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
This was part of a press statement released on Thursday by his spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, which was made available to journalists in Abuja.
Atiku said the statement became necessary following inquiries on whether he was leaving the party with some other people to form a new one.
He applauded the move to register the Peoples’ Democratic Movement as a political party, saying that he would always welcome the expansion of the political space to accommodate all shades of opinions or political hue.
Atiku also admitted that many of his political associates were involved in the registration process of the PDM.
He described freedom of association, as enshrined in the Constitution, as the beauty of democracy and that he would not dissuade any of his followers from seeking a platform to promote their programmes.
Atiku became the leader of the PDM following the death of the founder, Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, his political mentor who was the second-in-command to Olusegun Obasanjo as the military Head of State between 1976 and 1979.
Atiku’s political foray, leading to his governorship victory in Adamawa State in 1999 and his subsequent choice as the running mate to Obasanjo in the 1999 presidential election, was based on the strength of the then PDM.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday refuted a publication in a national newspaper that Atiku and nine PDP governors were floating a political party.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, also denied ever confirming the registration of any new party, saying “I never said such a thing.”
According to him, the question asked by the reporter on the telephone was that if there was any pending application for party registration in the Commission, adding, “I confirmed that an application, as always, is pending.”
He said, “Please note: He (the Reporter) mentioned no name of any particular group (because he confessed he didn’t even have it) or the promoters. INEC, by law, receives applications for party registration and treats them on individual merit.
“It makes no public issue of the party identity or their promoters. For the avoidance of doubt, I did not discuss any party identity or promoters with the Reporter because he didn’t have enough information to provide such detail in his enquiry.”