Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar says chatters about a crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are just “social media noise.”

Mr Abubakar spoke on Thursday at the Ibadan Airport on his way to Osogbo, the Osun state capital, for the mega rally of the PDP’s governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke.

“All the talks about division in PDP is just social media drama,” he told journalists. 

Trouble started in the main opposition party after Mr Abubakar picked Ifeanyi Okowa, the incumbent governor of Delta State, as his running mate while shunning Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State governor who had been forward to deputise him on the ticket.

Mr Wike was the first runner-up in the PDP presidential primary election held on May 28, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, scoring 237 votes against Mr Abubakar’s 371.

The choice of governor Okowa as the vice-presidential candidate had been threatening the success of the party ahead of the 2023 general and presidential election.

The crisis has also polarised the party into two camps with Mr Wike having the support of governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu. 

Mr Wike also appears to have opened political negotiations with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) even as former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Mr Abubakar. 

Speaking further on his arrival at the Airport, the PDP presidential candidate denied any polarisation in the main opposition party. 

“There is nothing like Wike camp or Atiku camp, it is just social media drama. We are one in the PDP family and I am working towards meeting Wike,” Mr Abubakar explained. 

He quickly added that the party would soon overcome the infighting within its fold.