Ahead of the 2019 presidential elections in the country, Nigeria’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Sunday announced that he was returning to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after quitting the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) last month.

Abubakar becomes the first official political heavyweight to signal a potential bid for the presidency which could pit him against the 74-year-old incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the statement he released through his Facebook page on Sunday, the Waziri of Adamawa said he returned back to the PDP  because the opposition party had resolved its internal issues.

While failing to indicate whether he would be vying to become the party’s presidential candidate for the 2019 polls, Abubakar said he left the APC because he “believed it was no longer aligned to the principles of equality, democracy and social justice.”

He further criticized the President Muhammadu Buhari- led APC government for letting down the Nigerian people by failing to create a vibrant economy and jobs, especially for the youth as according to him, only one quarter of the 18-25- year- olds were currently gainfully employed in the country.