PDP Falls Apart: Amaechi, Atiku, Babangida, Saraki & 8 Govs Join Opposition

When NaijaNewsLive reported few weeks back that a shocker awaits President Goodluck Jonathan and the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP, many thought we were just talking. The event of last Saturday at Eagle Square has confirmed that the PDP's monopoly in Nigerian politics has come to an end.

The crisis rocking PDP reached its boiling point as former VP Atiku Abubakar, 8 governors and delegates from their respective states staged a walkout from the PDP for good.

They immediately converged at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre and took decisions:
A new party was announced with former national secretary of PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Dr Sam Sam Jaja and Olagunsoye Oyinlola as Chairman, Deputy Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.

The eight governors who left with Atiku and others are:
Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Muritala Nyako (Adamawa) and Usman Dakingari (Kebbi), the latest convert.

More PDP governors are said to be consulting to join the new group.
“Within the next two to three weeks, the PDP will discover that it is a party of Dr. Bamanga Tukur, Jonathan and Governor Akpabio,” an insider said.

Curiously, former president Olusegun Obasanjo and former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida were absent at the PDP convention, indicating they may be in support of the new group.

NaijaNewsLive gathered that those who dumped Jonathan and the PDP may join forces with the PDM and, later, the APC to create a more formidable force that will have more governors and lawmakers than the PDP even before the 2015 elections.

Some APC leaders have already congratulated the Amaechi and Atiku group for dumping the PDP. One of the first message came from Nuhu Ribadu:

Ribadu said the men have taken a bold step that is good for Nigeria's democracy as we move to 2015.