A former House of Representatives aspirant in Ekiti State and aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lere Olayinka, has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of orchestrating his suspension and eventual expulsion from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2022.
Olayinka described Atiku’s current political predicament, following a court decision nullifying his candidacy for the January 16, 2027 presidential election, as an act of karma.
In a statement recalling events surrounding the 2022 general elections, Olayinka said he and other PDP National Assembly candidates in Ekiti State were suspended because of their loyalty to the group led by the then Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose. 
According to him, while other candidates were campaigning ahead of the election, he and his colleagues were preoccupied with legal battles and efforts to convince voters that they remained legitimate candidates of the PDP.
He alleged that about two weeks before the election, Atiku and other party leaders, led by the then National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, escalated the crisis by expelling them from the party, thereby threatening their candidacies.
Olayinka further claimed that millions of naira were spent to engage Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to oppose them in court, while various tactics were allegedly deployed to frustrate the determination of their cases before the election.
He said the court eventually nullified their expulsion three days before the election, but the judgment came too late to change their political fortunes.
Drawing a parallel between the experience and Atiku’s current legal battle, Olayinka said the former vice-president was now facing the same uncertainty and anxiety he allegedly subjected other PDP candidates to four years ago.
“Today, the candidacy of the same Atiku has been nullified by the court. Whether or not he will be on the ballot on January 16, 2027, Atiku does not know,” he said.
Olayinka added that the uncertainty surrounding Atiku’s political future was similar to the situation he and other candidates experienced in 2022.
“The same state of anxiety and uncertainty that Atiku and his men put myself and others four years ago, he is in such a state now.
“That is karma!” he declared.
