Atiku Back from France, Set for Edo Rally Today

Ahamefula Ogbu

 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar who travelled to France earlier in the week is back to the country.

Atiku came back yesterday though details of the trip were not made public but he was seen in company of some party faithful including the Chairman of his Presidential Campaign Council and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom.

He is also slated to attend a campaign rally in Benin, the Edo State capital today in continuation of his national campaign to garner votes in the next year election.

He had been rumoured to have left the country suddenly on account of ill health which was denied with his spokesman, Paul Ibe, explaining that the trip was a scheduled one for business purposes.

The ruling party had through former Minister of Aviation, Feni Kayode, alleged that he “collapsed” after the rally in Kaduna State and was rushed out of the country.

The controversy over the alleged ill health got a flurry of responses from Atiku camp which flooded the media with photographs where Atiku was meeting with either business partners or foreign media to put a lie to the claim of his being medically indisposed.

Atiku had before jetting out on Monday, attended the party rally in Kaduna where some hoodlums stormed the venue with dangerous weapons and nearly disrupted it and thereafter, left the country

It is not clear how the Edo rally will pan out given the struggle for the soul of the party between Governor Godwin Obaseki and party stalwart, Dan Orbih there.

Also, Edo State which is part of South South now boasts of being part of the problems of the party with disparate interests working at cross purposes, added to vocal Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike hailing from the region and being vociferous and firm in his stance that the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu must step down for peace to reign.