Old PDP Dares New PDP Governors: You Can Go and Join APC

The old Peoples Democratic Party, PDP on Thursday said it would not compel any of its members to remain within its fold. It said while it would prefer to dialogue with the aggrieved members to resolve any outstanding issues, it recognised that there is no compulsion in political party membership.

The party was reacting to the threat by some of the governors to defect to the "warm embrace" of opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, since the PDP leadership is making things difficult for them.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, told Punch on the telephone that the party was a democratic institution made up of individuals who chose to be members on their own free will.

He said, “We want them to remain in the party. We will want to work with them and resolve our issues; but we are in a democracy and in a democracy membership of a party is a choice freely made.”

It would be recalled that Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako had on Wednesday hinted that he and his six other aggrieved colleagues might defect to the rival APC unless the Tukur-led executive of the party changed its ways.

Nyako was quoted by his Director of Press, Ahmad Sajo, as saying he abhorred the injustice and impunity that were going on in the PDP.

The governor said, “These are the reasons (injustice and impunity) why we may have to dump the PDP, if they will not change their ways. We may definitely be pushed to the warm embrace of the APC because there is so much injustice in the PDP. “

The seven aggrieved governors of the PDP are: 

Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Rotimi Ameachi (Rivers); Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).