By Seyi Babalola
A Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Lere Olayinka, has told the party’s Presidential candidate in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar, to perish the idea of contesting the 2027 presidential election, saying “As it is now, Atiku needs to let PDP breathe.”
Olayinka, who was the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Ekiti Central Constituency two in the last elections, said “Atiku’s selfishness and arrogance put PDP where it is today, going forward, he should excuse himself and let new people be the face of the party.”
Reacting to the Supreme Court judgment, dismissing Atiku’s petition against the election of President Bola Tinubu, Olayinka said it was funny that some people were so emotional that they believed that not having 25 percent votes in the Federal Capital Territory was enough to nullify the election of someone who won in more than 20 States.
He said; “Rather than bringing everyone together to confront the election, they were more interested in dealing with those who told them the truth, suspending and expelling National Assembly candidates of the party and spending millions of Naira on lawyers to defend the suspension.
“They even had names of those they will show pepper when their President-in-waiting assume office. Now, eyes don clear.”
While telling those already selling the idea of Atiku contesting again in 2027 as PDP candidate to perish the idea, Olayinka said, “Enough of Atiku is coming every four years. PDP does not belong to any single individual.
“Most importantly, politics should not be about one person’s interest all the time. Someone left the PDP in 2007 when he knew he won’t get the presidential ticket.
He came back in 2011 to fight for the ticket in a very toxic manner, he lost.
“Just like 2007, when he saw that he won’t get the PDP ticket in 2015, he instigated crisis in the party and left for the APC. The moment it became clear that he won’t get the APC in 2019, he returned to the PDP.
“Truth is, if he had lost the PDP ticket in 2019, he would have probably moved to another party.
“Now that he has gotten what he wanted two times and failed, the party should be allowed to pick the pieces of its political life and move on with Atiku taking the back seat.”
