The Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign organisation has tackled its counterpart in the All Progressives Congress (APC) for delving into the internal crisis rocking the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

It described Mr Tinubu’s camp as ” palace jesters” who want to feast on the internal crisis rocking the main opposition party. 

“The palace jesters are gloating over the orchestrated amplification of the agitation by some members of our party to sing a dirge, forgetting that advocacy is not only normal in a democracy, their very idol went riotous and danced naked in desperation when he sensed that the ticket of his discredited and failed political party was eluding him,” Dino Melaye, the spokesman for Mr Abubakar’s campaign said in a statement. 

The Tinubu campaign organisation on Friday condemned the PDP over the infighting between its presidential candidate, Mr Abubakar and embattled Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike. 

The APC said the fight was a sign that the main opposition party is in disarray and on its way to electoral defeat, saying that Mr Abubakar will lose the 2023 presidential election.

But in its reply on Saturday, Mr Abubakar’s campaign organisation accused Tinubu’s camp of “sheer arrogance”, noting that the APC was trading by illusion for delving into the internal affairs of the PDP. 

“Through a sheer arrogance, impudence and indiscretion, Bayo Onanuga, the mouthpiece of the hallucinators and hawkers of illusion took the place of INEC by declaring a loss of eligibility for the most promising standard-bearer in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar. May the self-acclaimed rivals of God be reminded that power belongs to God?

“In any case, the polemics being celebrated was an indictment against Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who regardless of the status and efforts of APC leaders like Rotimi Amaechi was hawking the senatorial ticket in an insensitive and indecorous manner. In the end, his power excursion “lu’le”. This is what Atiku will not do. It is, in fact, for the defence of democracy and respect for due process that Atiku is now being persecuted.”

The PDP campaign organisation, however, described Mr Abubakar as a long-standing democrat who would not sacrifice those elected by the party for his own ambition to please autocratic democrats.  

It added that if by chance Mr Abubakar loses the support of some party members on account of adhering to the rules, he would be satisfied that he acted right. 

“Atiku will continue to support the enthronement of strong institutions that can minimise the excesses of political Goliaths. And as it happened to Goliath, strong men get defeated, no matter the length of their domination.

“Waiting to benefit from the internal synthesis that may play out in the PDP is a wait in futility. The tears of opposition are only flowing from the demonstrable capacity of Atiku for political sagacity.

“This contest will be a long hull. No shortcut, no award and no conferment of entitlement. Kaka ‘eyin ko lokan’,” Mr Abubakar’s campaign organisation added.