- Say “we can never belong to APC”
- Obasanjo tore expired membership card – PDP
Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido and his Niger State counterpart, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday took up the Kano State Governor Musa Kwankwaso over his allegation that they betrayed the G-7 governors by refusing to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Govs. Lamido and Babangida Aliyu were part of the PDP G-7 governors who moved against their perceived impunity and injustice in the PDP when Alhaji Bamanga Tukur was the ruling party’s national chairman
Fielding questions from newsmen after a closed-door meeting with members of the PDP National Working Committee, NWC, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Governor Lamido said he betrayed the G-5 governors for national interest.
“I am a betrayer, confirmed. I betrayed them. I did, Yes. I am aligning myself to what he said, go and find out from him.”
Governor Kwamkwaso had on Monday accused the two governors of betraying the aggrieved governors by remaining in the PDP after championing the cause for justice in the ruling party.
But Lamido declared yesterday that he had absolutely no intention of defecting to the APC despite the recent visit by Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
“Amaechi and I are very good friends. PDP or no PDP, we are Nigerians, how can I go to APC.”
On the face-off between Obasanjo and PDP, Lamido insisted that the rift is still a family affair.
“You have a father and a son. You do not come between a father and a son. You do not go out in the open to insult your father. It is our business, so leave it. You are not his own son, he is our own father, so leave us alone please.”
On his part, Governor Aliyu denied that he planned dumping the PDP for the APC. He said at the time he led the G-7 group, the objective was to resolve leadership problem in his party.
Aliyu’s reaction was contained in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Israel A. Ebije, in response to Kwankwaso’s assertion that he (Aliyu) was privy to the G-7 decision to decamp to APC.
He said the aim of the G-7 was not to jettison the PDP. He insisted it was aimed at bringing sanity to the party adding that the objective of their action was proactive and the result was positive.
He said he would always respect members of the G-7 for their position against impunity in the party at that trying period. He however maintained that decision to leave for the APC was however not on the agenda of the group but more of individual decision of members.
Aliyu however said he has no regrets in leading a group that brought sanity to the PDP at a time the party was passing through difficulties. He said their effort was indeed nationalistic and a reflection of maturity of Nigerian democracy.
“Let me state in categorical terms that I never discussed with the G-7 governors over issue of decamping to the APC. I led the group primarily to stabilize the PDP. At that time, the PDP was having challenges hinging on impunity which had to be addressed.”
“Let me therefore intimate that based on principle, I never planned to abandon the PDP for another party. It is also important to note that the G-7 achieved its objective of repositioning the PDP which was at the time passing through leadership challenge, therefore I had no reason to leave, besides our effort brought the ruling party back on its feet.”
He said he will remain committed to the PDP and would work towards ensuring the party win in all elective positions in Niger state. He added that PDP remained the party to beat in the next general election.
Meanwhile, the controversy trailing the destruction of the PDP membership card by former President Olusegun Obasanjo took a new twist yesterday as the party’s National Secretary, Prof Adewale Oladipo, declared that it was an outdated card that Obasanjo destroyed.
He told journalists at the PDP national secretariat during a solidarity visit by students of the University of Abuja, that the party changed its membership card which was signed by the present national leadership.
According to him, the membership card Obasanjo directed his Ward Chairman to tear was issued by former Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, who last year defected with the other rebel PDP governors to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Oladipo said the party has no grudge against Obasanjo and attributed his action to old age.
“Baba is over eighty and my mother is around Obasanjo’s age and when you reach that age, you do things that only you can explain.
“Second, you will see that Baba did not tear our card. He asked somebody ostensibly to do the tearing and I am assuring you that the card that was torn was not the current PDP card. The current PDP card is signed by Mu’azu and Prof Wale Oladipo. So the cad he tore was card issueed by Barage, which we were going to destroy anyway’.
He maintained that the dramatic tearing of the PDP membership card will not affect the fortunes of the party during the forthcoming general election.
“Baba is a very intelligent man. When Baba was helping us, he knows that a lot of people could have complained that they could have voted for PDP but Baba is there.
“You know when a big tree exits in a big forest, smaller trees cannot grow. If that big tree leaves, 10 to 20 smaller trees will grow.
“In politics one big tree has a vote, while twenty small trees have 20 votes. If you do the arithmetic, I am a scientist, I know that head or tail, it is a win win situation for PDP,” he said.
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