We Will Not Return To PDP..G5 Governors Vow

Four of the five former Peoples Democratic Party’s governors, who defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress, have vowed not to return to the ruling party.

The governors—Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara)— spoke separately to SUNDAY PUNCH on  Friday in Abuja, while reacting to reported moves by the PDP to bring them  back.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, on Wednesday and Thursday, said the party was still discussing with the rebel governors with a view to bringing them back.

The four governors and their Adamawa State counterpart, Murtala Nyako, had defected to the APC on November 26, in Abuja.

Two other PDP rebel governors — Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Babangida Aliyu (Niger) — however chose to remain in the PDP.

On Friday, Rotimi Amaechi described moves by the PDP to get him and his four other colleagues who defected to the opposition APC, to return to the ruling party as “medicine after death”.

Amaechi told SUNDAY PUNCH that he was not going back to the PDP despite reports of attempts to make him and his colleagues change their minds about their defection.

The governor, who spoke through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Mr. Tony Okocha, noted that there was no going back on his decision to dump the PDP.

The governor explained that the former PDP governors gave the ruling party and its leaders enough time to resolve the internal crisis but that nothing came out of the process.

He said, “The move to get them back to the PDP is medicine after death. The arrow has already been shot and that means it (arrow) has left the bow. There is nothing anybody can do to stop the arrow or redirect its course.

“The PDP realised that there was crisis in the party, but refused to resolve it. We have moved and we are not going back.”

On claims by Tukur that Amaechi and the aggrieved governors had not defected, the governor explained that it was better for Tukur to come to terms with the realities on the ground.

He pointed out that he was currently in the APC, adding that he and his supporters had left the PDP with a view to moving the state and the nation forward.

“He (Tukur) is still living in illusion. He had better come to terms with the stark realities. Amaechi is in the APC and we have all crossed,” he said.

Speaking in a similar vein, the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, foreclosed a return to the PDP, noting that his defection to the APC was not a fluke.

Responding to questions on the subject, the governor, who spoke through his Director of Press and Public Relations, Baba Dantiye, said he “ is now a member of the APC in mind and in soul.”

The Sokoto State Governor’s spokesman, Mallam Sani Umar, simply said, his principal had made his point and, as such, “there is nothing more to say.”

Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed on Friday said he had no further response to claims by Tukur, that none of the aggrieved governors had defected to the APC.

When one of our correspondents sought Governor Ahmed’s response through his spokesperson, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, he replied that the governor had no further comment on the matter.

“We do not have any further comment on the issue,” he said.

Ahmed had on Thursday restated his commitment to the position taken by the Abubakar Baraje-led defunct New PDP, which moved into the APC.

Meanwhile, senators elected on the platform of the PDP have yet to formally defect to the APC, two weeks after their governors moved to the opposition party.

The affected senators have been attending meetings called by the Kawu Baraje’s led faction of the party since the crisis started.

Apart from Senator Bukola Saraki who led his followers to identify with the APC in Kwara State, none of his colleagues has made such a move.

The only action that the senators took that could be construed as supportive of their leaders’ defection was their boycott of a recent meeting called by the National Working Committee of the PDP. The ruling party’s NWC had summoned all the PDP senators to a meeting last Wednesday, but senators from the states ruled by the defected governors stayed away.

After the meeting, the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, insisted that none of the 74 PDP senators had defected to another party.

Ndoma-Egba said the Senate had a standing rule guiding members who wished to defect from one party to another but noted that none of his colleagues had notified the senate leadership as required by law.

On Friday, our correspondents made attempts to contact some of the affected senators on the telephone but they did not pick their calls. Also, text messages sent to them were not replied to.

However, some of their aides who spoke with our correspondents on the issue confirmed that their bosses deliberately stayed away from the meeting led by Tukur, on Wednesday.

They said their principals would soon defect to the APC but were still studying the political situation.

An aide of a Senator from Rivers State who pleaded anonymity said, “My boss will surely leave the PDP because his leader has defected.”

Meanwhile governors elected on the platform of the PDP are still clamouring for the sacking of the National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur.

This demand, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt, would be tabled at a meeting by the governors with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Sunday (today).

The meeting was called by the President to discuss several issues that are negatively affecting the party.

One of the governors, who spoke on spoke on condition of anonymity, said majority of his colleagues want the chairman out.

He said the consensus among his colleague was the Tukur was not managing the party well and that he should be removed.

He, however, said they were sceptical about President Jonathan acceding to their demand.

He said, “You know we met with the President last Sunday. It was tactical that the meeting was adjourned till this Sunday to enable tempers cool down and to give room for wider consultations on the matter.

“This explains why between Monday and Tuesday, there were series of meetings and consultations between the PDP governors and other stake holders on what should be done.”

He stated that the PDP governors were not happy over the state of affairs of the party, adding that the suspension of Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Abubakar Baraje and two others as well as the defection of five governors from the party were indications that those managing the party were not handling it well.

He added that the governors were not happy that since the August 31 special national convention of the party, Tukur and members of his National Working Committee had refused to call for National Executive Committee and caucus meetings.