5 PDP govs, Oyinlola, Baraje, others join APC

•We’re still in PDP —Lamido, Aliyu
•PDP may declare their seats vacant

Democratic Party (PDP) took a new turn on Tuesday, as five of the seven aggrieved governors elected on the ticket of the party, otherwise known as G7, have been confirmed to have dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Also, the national chairman of the New PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje; national secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the deputy national chairman, Dr Sam Sam Jaja, also joined the APC.

This came just as the New PDP formally merged with APC.

Alhaji Baraje, who read a two-paragraph communique issued at the end of a meeting between the representatives of APC and the New PDP, held at the Kano State Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, said “after exhaustive deliberations, the two parties agreed to merge in order to rescue our fledgling democracy and the nation.”

While Chief Bisi Akande, the interim national chairman of APC signed on behalf of the party, Alhaji Baraje signed on behalf of the New PDP.

Five of the seven governors that attended the meeting were Roimi Amaechi (Rivers); Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Aliyu Babangida (Niger); Abulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), while Jigawa and Sokoto state governors reportedly sent their representatives.

However, both Governors Babangida and Ahmed only stayed briefly at the meeting, but Alhaji Baraje said both of them took permission for another important engagements.

The APC delegation to the merger meeting included Chief Akande, Senator Bola Tinubu, General Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while those from the New PDP were Alhaji Baraje, Prince Oyinlola, Honourable Aminu Masari, Alhaji Kashim Imam, Senators Bukola Saraki and Abdullahi Adamu, Dr Jaja, Alhaji Bibi Farouk, former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Sylva Diepreye, as well as the national chairman of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Dr Ogbonaya Onu.

When asked about the name of the new party, Alhaji Baraje said the New PDP was dissolving into APC for real.

It is recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan was to hold another round of meeting with the aggrieved governors on Sunday, but was called off at the last minute.

Speaking with newsmen, Senator Tinubu described the development as good omen to the nation’s democracy.

Tinubu said with the coming together of New PDP and APC, there would be no hiding place for PDP, adding that the merger would give Nigerians true democracy they deserved.

Aliyu, Lamido deny defection
In another development, however, Governor Aliyu of Niger State denied reports purporting that he had dumped PDP for APC, saying he remained a member of the PDP.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, in Abuja, on Tuesday, Aliyu said he was shocked at the announcement of the merger of New PDP and APC, even before a final decision was taken on the matter.

Ndayebo, in a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune, in Minna, on Tuesday, said “Governor Aliyu was not present at the meeting where the merger deal was sealed between the Baraje-led New  PDP  and APC leaders as widely reported by the media.”

Governor Aliyu insisted that talks were still ongoing with the presidency, adding that he would await the outcome of the negotiation before taking a final decision.

Also, Governor Lamido denied his reported defection to APC, saying that he remained in PDP.

In a statement issued, signed and made available to the Nigerian Tribune in Dutse, by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Malam Umar Kyari, Lamido said “while my party (PDP) is currently embroiled in a serious crises, especially by the Bamanga Tukur style of leadership with impunity, that does not necessitate me to renounce my historical authority.”

The governor said “I will not give anybody the pleasure of engaging me by his term. I wish to state that I remain the living father of the PDP. Aluta continua.”

Governor Lamido assured that he would engage his political adversaries on his term at the appropriate time.

Defectors exercise their rights —PDP •May declare their seats vacantTHE PDP has described the defection as an exercise of democratic rights, declaring that after 2015 victory of the party, the defectors would be welcomed back into the party.

Speaking on behalf of the party, its national secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, said the PDP was not worried or disturbed by the defection, adding that those who did not deliver their states for the president at the 2011 election could not now determine the fate of the PDP and the president in 2015.

“Multi-party democracy is now entrenched in our nation and everyone is free to take advantage of this and move to any political party where he believes his political interest would best be served.

“We had always believed that there is more to this orchestrated conflict within our party than meets the eyes. As for APC, it is still exercising its freedom of association that the PDP government had entrenched in the country in past 14 years,” he said.

The PDP scribe congratulated President Jonathan for ensuring that basic political freedom was guaranteed to all Nigerians, irrespective of their status.

He maintained that the allegiance between the splinter group and APC would not last, adding that the defectors would return to the PDP before long.

“I assure you that come May 29, 2015, when the good people of this country would have given us authority again to continue in the transformation agenda till 2019, many of these people will come knocking  again,” he said.

The party also lauded Governors Lamido and Aliyu for dissociating themselves from the reported defection, adding that President Jonathan would hold peace talks with aggrieved members of the party on Sunday.

Addressing newsmen on Tuesday, the national publicity secretary of the party, Chief Olisah Metuh, said “we wish to commend the wise decision of some of the aggrieved governors to dissociate themselves from the action of some of their colleagues.

“We assure all Nigerians that PDP will continue to grow from strength to strength and will definitely emerge stronger from this event.

“We wish to state categorically that PDP remains unperturbed as we are now rid of detractors and distractions. We urge all our members nationwide to remain focused and close ranks, now that agents of distraction have finally left our ranks.

“We wish to remind our members that from the rulings of the court, there are no faction whatsoever in PDP. In the eyes of the law, the PDP remains one and an indivisible entity, under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.”

Meanwhile, PDP is to commence legal moves to declare seats of any of its governors who defected to APC vacant.

Leaders of the party, who had monitored the body language of the aggrieved governors, were said to have recommended to the presidency to give its nod to the move to seek legal redress against any of the governors who defected to the APC.

The legal tango would, according to sources, be based on the constitutional provisions which forbade anyone elected on the platform of a party from defecting to another, except there is division in the party that originally elected him.

Leaders of the PDP were said to have examined Section 68(Ig) of the 1999 Constitution and discovered that the law was not in favor of defection.

It was gathered that a team of lawyers was already working on the legal technicalities, to ensure any governor who defected had his seat declared vacant.

It was also gathered on Tuesday that President Jonathan and the leader of PDP Governors Forum, Governor Godswill Akpabio, met at the Presidential Villa, to dissect the defection of the five governors.