Atiku does not do ethnic politics - PDP responds APC on Yoruba, Igbo comment

The Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, has denied claims by the All Progressives Congress, APC, accusing its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of engaging in ethnic and tribal politics.

PDP said it was shameful and irresponsible that the APC would deliberately distort, doctor and misinterpret Atiku's comment to Kaduna in an effort to smear its image.

At a meeting in Kaduna over the weekend, Atiku said Nigeria needed a pan-Nigerian leader, not a Yoruba or Igbo candidate.

Atiku's remark drew backlash from Nigerians who described the former vice president as a section leader.

To that end, the APC had described Atiku's comment as a decisive attack on the country's national unity.

Reacting to the APC comment, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba insisted that Atiku is a pan-Nigerian leader.

A statement from Ologunagba said APC's reaction showed the party is worried about Atiku's popularity across the country.

The statement reads: "For clarity and for the avoidance of doubt, Atiku Abubakar remains a pan-Nigerian leader; a symbol of national unity, cohesion and tolerance who is comfortable and loved in all regions of the country.

"He has never pitted and never will pit any part of our country against the other as being maliciously mediated by the APC. To set the record straight, the PDP presidential candidate, in responding in the context of being questioned at the event, noted that he had built bridges across the country and what Nigerians including an average northerner was a Pan-Nigerian leader and not an ethnic champion.

"We know that the APC is nervous about the overwhelming popularity of Atiku Abubakar across the country due to his interest in issues that will improve the lives of Nigerians and as such the APC seeks desperately to smear his pan-Nigerian position."

PDP lamented that Nigeria was more divided under the APC-led administration.