By ADEYEMI ADELEYE

A support group, Nigerian Youths for Atiku (NYFA), says internal disputes within Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not determine former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar?s fortune in the 2027 general elections.

The group, which has been throwing its weight behind Abubakar, the 2023 PDP presidential candidate, stated this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.

NYFA?s Director of Communications, Mr Dare Dada, said that the group?s position was made known after its strategic meeting on Wednesday Lagos.

Dada, however, urged the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to urgently intervene in the party?s internal disputes and restore sanity to its ranks.

?NYFA has critically assessed the ongoing power tussle within the party, where certain individuals appear more focused on personal gains rather than the collective wealth of the Peoples Democratic Party.

?It is rather unfortunate that the party has strayed from the vision of its founding fathers and leaders who envisioned good governance, democratic consolidation and a vibrant platform for leadership development.

?Recent events have not only exposed the incompetence of the current leadership but have also further diminished the reputation of a party once hailed as the largest in Africa.

?We make bold to say that the orchestrated disputes will not determine the fate of Atiku in 2027 as he is ready to put smiles on Nigerians? faces,? Dada said.

According to him, the resignation of prominent members and elected officials across the three geo-political zones is a clear indication that the PDP is in turmoil.

?Personal interests have taken precedence over the party?s collective mission, endangering our shared political future.

?It is time for individuals who once benefitted from the party to stop undermining its unity for selfish gains.

?The pretence that all is well within the party must end because the reality tells a different story,? the spokesman said.

He said that NYFA was aware of the fact that the ongoing efforts to suspend the Chairman of the party?s Disciplinary Committee, Chief Tom Ikimi, was part of a broader scheme to weaken the party.

According to him, this follows a similar attempt to suspend the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Sen. Adolphus Wabara, from his ward.

?These are considered to be desperate and outdated tactics which will not succeed. These internal betrayals only serve to destabilise the party further,? he said.

Dada said that the PDP Governors? Forum must remain united against those he called the fifth columnists and all those working to undermine the party in 2027.

Dada said that PDP leadership must instill discipline in the party to brighten its fortune in 2027.

According to him, PDP cannot be keeping those who openly worked against it in the last election, while simultaneously encouraging the suspension of the BOT chairman who had been championing unity.

?Their actions suggest that their primary goal is to prevent Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from contesting in 2027 rather than positioning PDP as a viable alternative for Nigerians.

?PDP must redeem itself and prove to Nigerians that it is not an annex of the APC.

?A party that once stood as the symbol of Nigeria?s democracy has, regrettably, become a shadow of itself, allowing its leaders to work against its own interests.?

?The time to reclaim the PDP?s legacy is now,? he stated.

He added the party had arrived at a critical political crossroads where members must now decide their future. (NAN)

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