11 senators decamp to APC

Abuja—THE All  Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of luring former governors of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau and his counterpart in Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa  to the ruling PDP,  saying however that APC was relieved that the two former governors did not leave APC with their supporters.


Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made tshis known in a telephone interview with Vanguard yesterday.

Mohammed spoke even as 11 PDP senators defected to the APC.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Adamu Mu’azu, condemned automatic tickets for political office seekers describing it as undemocratic.

However, Shekarau said that he left the APC in obedience to the decision of his teeming supporters following mishandling of affairs in the opposition party by a clique.

Addressing supporters in his supporter at his Mudubawa Road,  GRA, Bompai, Kano residence, Shekarau catalogued their frustration in APC, stressing that “the party had been hijacked by cliques that employed undemocratic tactics to ruin the party.”

The 11 senators who formally defected from the PDP to APC include Bukola Saraki-Kwara Central; Umaru Dahiru-Sokoto South and Magnus Ngei Abe- Rivers South-East.

Others include Wilson Asinobi Ake-Rivers West; Bindawa Muhammed Jibrilla-Adamawa North; Mohammed Danjuma Goje-Gombe Central; Aisha Jummai Alhassan-Taraba North; Mohammed Ali Ndume-Borno South; Mohammed Shaba Lafiaji-Kwara North; Abdullahi Adamu-Nasarawa West and Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir-Sokoto East.

This came on a day that Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, LP, and Peter Obi of Anambra, APGA, attended a PDP  caucus meeting with House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal and 100 PDP Reps.

Why I left APC – Shekarau
Shekarau, who played a central role during the formative stage of the opposition merger party accused the APC of violating critical norms of democracy, pointing out that “within these six months, various unconstitutional decisions have been passed by a clique of the leadership of the party, and in our position as bonafide members of that party then, we challenged such decisions. We presented written petitions signed by over 250 stakeholders on December 18, 2013. Today is exactly six weeks since we presented that petition, no acknowledgement, no contact, no one has referred to us to address the petition we have submitted.

“APC has nothing to show in this last six months, there is nothing on ground, not a single member of APC has been registered, not a single leadership structure exists anywhere within the states. No structure of interim leadership at ward levels, at local government levels, at state levels.

“Up till this time, we are yet to receive any detailed programme of democratic elections to produce leaders of the party at various levels. To our dismay and to our surprise, within the six months which was the formal and official constitutional period given the interim leadership of the party, we now hear that leadership of the interim has no limited period.”

The former Presidential flag bearer of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP,  maintained that “failure to address these petitions is a clear indication to us that the leadership of APC has taken sides and is not prepared to listen to genuine grievances which are against the spirit of democracy, adding that “it was against the spirit of fair hearing and against the spirit of social justice for which the party stands for. “

Shekarau declared: “It is as a result of this very conspicuous display of injustice that the stakeholders of the ANPP of Kano assembled here today, moved a motion, which has been passed and supported, that we members of the defunct ANPP of Kano State do hereby denounce our membership of the All Progressive Congress, APC.”

Shekarau declared to the admiration of his supporters that “we dump the party from this moment; and based on the motion moved and adopted and accepted unanimously, we the members of ANPP stock of Kano State are moving en mass and collectively into the Peoples Democratic Party.”

He, therefore, called on his supporters across various divide to disassociate themselves with anything that has to do with the APC and “join hands with our brothers, our sisters and our fellow citizens of Nigeria to take the country to greater heights.”

11 PDP senators defect to APC
The APC, which announced the defection of the senators, in a statement signed by Mohammed, said that a ‘’ formal letter to this effect had been delivered to Senate President David Mark and was expected to be read on the floor of the Senate yesterday afternoon.”

Mohammed further stated that “This is only the first batch of many other senators of the PDP expected to defect to the APC soon.”

Just before the National Assembly went on recess last December, 37 members of the House of Representatives defected from PDP to APC.

Since last November when five PDP governors defected to the APC, the ruling party had been hit by defections of many legislators elected on its platform at both federal and state levels.

Obi, Mimiko at PDP NWC crucial meeting with Reps

Mu’azu, who spoke after a closed-door caucus meeting with PDP members of the House of Representatives, waved aside the possibility of automatic tickets for lawmakers.

Also, to the surprise of even PDP Reps, Governors Mimiko and Obi startled all when they walked alongside Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio at about 9.05pm yesterday into the venue of the meeting.

The PDP Chairman, however, clarified issues on free tickets saying: “automatic tickets are given for parties that are undemocratic.  We have a democratic process and we will go through that, those that deserve it will surely be there”.

On the promise by his predecessor to give the members in the National Assembly automatic tickets , Mu’azu said, “ I have no knowledge of what you are telling me. “

Asked what the thrust of the meeting was, the PDP leader said, “it is normal consultation meeting between the party leadership and the caucus of the party in the House of Representatives that is what we came here to do.”

Before the meeting, however, Mu’azu had while responding to a demand by House Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola said he would reserve his comment on the matter till the end, saying they would look into it.

The PDP chairman also denied the existence of any arrangement by immediate past chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to give the lawmakers automatic tickets.

Responding to a question on such an arrangement, Mu’azu said, “as far as I’m concerned, I’m hearing it for the first time from you. I’m not aware of such arrangement in the PDP before now.”

Asked why he seemed to have turned down the idea when his initial comment suggested he might have supported it, Mu’azu said, “this thing about body language or sign language; I have mouth to talk when I want to say something, and that is what I just told you; no automatic ticket.”

Akande-Adeola had demanded that “Members of this House will want to be re-assured of the party’s promise of automatic tickets in the forthcoming election, their welfare and opportunity to nominate membership of various committees from their respective constituencies whenever the need arises.”

On the outcome of the meeting, Mu’azu said it was fruitful as the PDP NWC and nine governors of the party were in the House as part of their consultation process.

Present at the meeting were Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduagham, Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero and Kebbi State Governor and Saidu Usman Dakingari.

Others were Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State, Babangida Mu’azu of Niger State, Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State and Taraba acting governor, Garba Umar.

The meeting also had in attendance Speaker of the House, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, House  deputy leader, Leo Ogor and about 100 other PDP lawmakers.

Mimiko and Obi simply told journalists on their way out of the complex that they  accompanied Gov Akpabio to the venue from another meeting.

Why I didn’t leave  PDP  –Aliyu
Meanwhile, the Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu who was also at the PDP national secretariat with a delegation from his state explained why he did not join his G5 colleagues to dump the PDP for APC.

Aliyu said:  “I led a protest, which came to be known as G7. It was not intended to kill the party and move away. Many people asked me, ‘you led the group how come you did not move?’ I didn’t move because my conscience, understanding and my position is with the PDP. And I believe in 2015, PDP will form the government.”

The Niger State governor who hailed the emergence of Mu’azu as chairman of the party, stressed that the travails he went through after his tenure as governor of Bauchi State were preparatory to his emergence as chairman of the PDP at these trying times, adding that his return has brought hope to the party and they can hold their heads high. He stressed that the challenges faced by the party will make them face elections in 2015 better.