Eight PDP Governors Move to Defect




• PDP will have 15 states, opposition 21

     
As political calculations towards the 2015 elections heighten, it has emerged that at least eight Peoples Democratic Party governors are set to leave the party. It is not a question of "if" but of "when", said a senior political actor familiar with the developing strategy.

The governors are those of Rivers (Rotimi Amaechi), Adamawa (Murtala Nyako), Kano (Rabiu Kwankwaso), Jigawa (Sule Lamido) and Kebbi (Seidu Dakingari).

Others are Governors Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara.
To underscore the frustrations of the group with PDP, three of the Governors: Lamido, Kwankwaso and Wamakko boycotted the PDP peace parley in Kaduna yesterday, which had Vice-President Namadi Sambo in attendance.

THISDAY has learnt the eight governors are firmly resolved to work together politically, claiming that they have been "thoroughly marginalised in PDP" and have lost confidence in the party leadership, which they say has been totally "commandeered" by President Goodluck Jonathan and the Aso Rock political apparachik.

The governors, according to several sources, have come to the conclusion that their political fortunes can only dwindle in PDP and as such are weighing their strategic options and next political moves having reached some political "agreement-in-principle" with the Bola Tinubu and Muhammadu Buhari - led opposition merger group, All Progressives Congress (APC), after several meetings in Lagos and Abuja.

“The governors are, however, agreed on a number of decisions at present,” sources close to the state chief executives told THISDAY.
One of these is to approve the agreement with and move en-mass, with the Senators, House of Representatives members, state assembly members, local council chairmen and political structures at all levels in their states, into the opposition APC. 

And in doing this, they will be keeping their political structures in their states, at the local government and state levels, intact and alter the political landscape of Nigeria effectively making the PDP-led Federal Government a minority government as they will then have 21 state governors against the PDP'S 15.

PDP currently has 23 governors to the opposition’s 13. They will have absolute majority in the House of Representatives, given the numbers in the North-West, and share power in the Senate depending on which Senator follows them.
In their discussions with APC, they are also seeking guarantees and assurances of equality of membership, a level-playing field, internal democracy at the federal party as well as the adoption of their political leadership structures as the legitimate leadership of the merged APC in their states.

In the race for the presidency, they are demanding full internal democracy and total transparency and openness in the choice of the presidential candidate of the emergent coalition party.

According to sources, the eight governors have cited various reasons, ranging from marginalisation, moves to hijack the PDP structures from them and using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to persecute them, to other untoward moves against them, as reasons for their move to defect.

They also specifically complained that under Bamanga Tukur’s leadership, PDP had allegedly perfected the moves to dismantle their leadership of the party in their states, and weaken them through federal ministers and friends of Aso Rock.
These ministers, according to them, are being empowered to fund parallel political structures.

For instance, the Rivers State governor allegedly spoke of marginalisation within PDP, plans to prop up his former ally-turned–political-foe to hijack the PDP structure in the state from him and moves to oust him as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and promote his arch-political rival, Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio in the process.

Jigawa Governor Lamido has also complained of persecution within PDP leadership because of the rumour that he has presidential ambition resulting in the use and unleashing of EFCC on him as exemplified in the arrest and prosecution of his son by the commission on flimsy grounds.

For Kwara Governor Ahmed, his political godfather, former governor of the state, Senator Bukola Saraki, has been marginalised within the party for allegedly daring to contest against President Jonathan in the build-up to the 2011 election and for moving the motion in Senate that paved the ground for the probe of oil subsidy fraud.

"Despite being proved right with the uncovering of huge subsidy fraud, Saraki should be praised and honoured as a whistle-blower, instead the Villa is using the police against him," said the sources.

Governors of Sokoto, Kebbi and Adamawa involved in the defection plan have also cried of marginalisation and persecution within PDP, while Babangida Aliyu is said to be facing the same charge as Lamido: "nursing a presidential ambition in 2015".

For Kwankwaso of Kano, the charge of marginalisation is even worse: the sources say he has never been consulted in any federal appointments in Kano and no one in the Presidential Villa has ever called him to discuss his security challenges and find out how he is coping.

The sources insist that they are not sure if the Presidency called him with any support after the last dastardly Kano bombing, which claimed 25 lives, but point out it was Bola Tinubu and APC leaders that came in a symbolic gesture to see the Kano people "in their hour of need".

“The president does not call him to find out how the state has been coping in respect of the incessant bomb blast,” another source close to the governor lamented as all attempts by Kwankwaso to reach the president to discuss the security problems have proved abortive.
The defection would be a major blow to the PDP and is said to enjoy the moot support of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

If that is true, Nigeria could witness a major alliance of the North-west where most of the defecting governors come from, and the South-west, controlled by the Action Congress of Nigeria.

Following the 2006 population census, the North-west comprising seven states and with a total population of 35,915, 468 followed by the South-west with six states and a population of 27, 721, 832 have the highest of the six geo-political zones.

Other zones and their populations are as follows: South-south-21,034,081; North-central-18, 963, 717; South-east-16,395,545 and North-east-14, 331, 233.

When contacted, a senior presidency official said he was not aware of the development and that he would check.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/eight-pdp-governors-move-to-defect/143045/

Guy put source make I runs am enter front page

... Amazing, nigerians shout pdp is our ruin, nothing to show for 12 yrs. They shout we must replace pdp. So the pdp guys now leave pdp to help nigerians replace pdp with themselves under new name media APC. Jokers ... So if buhari and Tinubu can dialogue with pdp govs to bring their structures to them, its obvious pdp aint the problem. How can a sane man use the problem as his solution? Naija ehh ...

How can they move to defect to a party that doesn't exist and whose acronym has been taking by another group of people.

All this beer parlour talk is pathetic journalism.

Forget the propaganda. Just go and register a name first, then we can take you serious.

will this people just shut up.how can any reasonable person move from somewhere to nowhere.

thelastPope: How can they move to defect to a party that doesn't exist and whose acronym has been taking by another group of people.

All this bear parlour talk is pathetic journalism.

Forget the propaganda. Just go and register a name first, then we can take you serious.

If the Opposition party comprises people who have registered a party before then common sense dictates that they can always register one when the decide to. Your daft logic above, S9, is like criticizing a team of scientist who are into research to profer solution to a nagging problem for not giving the end product of their research a name before going into their research or hiring lawyer to register their patents.

The new boko haram party can never, stop GEJ come 2015

Source = northern imagination forum.

.

Sibrah:
If the Opposition party comprises people who have registered a party before then common sense dictates that they can always register one when the decide to. Your daft logic above, S9, is like criticizing a team of scentist who are into research to profer solution to a nagging problem for not give the end product of their research a name before going into their research or hiring lawyer to registre their patents.

Don't expect common sense utterances from some here. I often joke with friends that Nigeria is one of the few Nations so aberrant that even PHD holders will get in the mud, to begin fighting like Pigs, once they have decided to abandon their core training, revolving around the utilisation of the logic and science of things, to be like most Nigerians who embrace a sentimental and bias-driven take on issues.

Even a fool will know that the APC will be birthed sooner or later. Solution providers, winners and leaders will not concern themselves with all the registration mischief , neither here nor there in the overall scheme of things, unintelligent PDP backers are obsessed with. They will focus on real plans, calculations and probabilities. To that end, forward-planning disgruntled PDP Governors will certainly look to move to the APC while charlatans and olodos will focus on and remain obsessed with highlighting registration issues regarding an inevitable entity very much long overdue as per the concept of natural evolution.

Clerverly:

This where i have problems. I am from the South-East but a staunch supporter of Buhari's candidacy, If any other candidate emerged here, i would rather support the retar*deen at the top now, so that looting will go round the Geo-political zones than have a new thief who would start looting afresh

Same thing with ♍ƺ.
If buhari isn't contesting then I have no business with the new party unless they come up with a very impressive candidate.
But I won't vote jonah whatever may happen, I would rather vote for an independent candidate.
@ sibrah ; succinct response. I dey gbadun intelligent people.

thelastPope: How can they move to defect to a party that doesn't exist and whose acronym has been taking by another group of people.

All this bear parlour talk is pathetic journalism.

Forget the propaganda. Just go and register a name first, then we can take you serious.

This report is from ThisDay Newspaper, owned by the guy GEJ dashed N150million from poverty alleviation account to bring Jay Z and Bey to Nigeria. You should actually think it twice before labelling it as beer parlour journalism, for we know of ThisDay's bias towards PDP. Its time you guys re-strategise, and deliver democratic dividends or else PDP will soon be the opposition party!

www.thisdaylive.com/articles/eight-pdp-governors-move-to-defect/143045/

Afam4eva: Which APC are they defecting to? is the the one that was secretly registered by PDP's agbero, Ugochinyere or the APC that has broom as a logo that has not been registered?

An ignorant mod! None of the APC's have been registered!

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/03/jega-opens-up-on-controversy-inec-has-not-registered-any-apc/

Amechi! Amechi!! Amechi!!! By d time Babangida Aliyu & co finish wit u, u'll know dat u r standin alone in dat group. B warned

#TeamAPC, #TeamBuhari till a better candidate emerges.

so what is the point of apc thing then ... i thought we are trying to get freedom from pdp (people demolooters party) ... why are these same looters defecting to the same party we are hoping will be the messiah


I just want freedom from PDP and everything and everyone in that devilish party ...and not be partially ruled by them

smh

Clerverly:

This where i have problems. I am from the South-East but a staunch supporter of Buhari's candidacy, If any other candidate emerged here, i would rather support the retar*deen at the top now, so that looting will go round the Geo-political zones than have a new thief who would start looting afresh

The only let down APC would have is if they don't field BUHARI as its presidential flag bearer.
If they do then I see hope for Nigeria.

Whether PDP or APC. It is still the same people who has shattered our economy and polity because of their greed and dangerous quest for power

free2ryhme: Whether PDP or APC. It is still the same people who has shattered our economy and polity because of their greed and dangerous quest for power

I still have this feeling that a Buhari led government would bring Nigeria back to the path of greatness.

Even though dis report isn't entirely true but just likely a ploy by sm persons within d PDP who are losing power to increase their BARGANNING chips; but, the fact that this isn't eventuali Impossible all but CONFIRMS the main reason for d formatn of d new Merger 'party' at least in d minds of most of its drivers: an attempt by a particular region and a set of people to get the Presidency from GEJ and his region by every means considered possible, PERIOD. The fact that these Govs are ALL from d north, esp d NorthWest, (forget Gov Amechi- he will never defect, if not for anything but for any chance of survival in his own region) and that d 'APC' leadas are willy to accept just about ANY PDP memba (or any person for that mata) , completely removes any doubt of their main goal. What is developing is a desperate realignment of SAME people both from d Old corrupt Hegemouth (PDP) and the new Desperate Merger of Progressive Rogues, MPR (apologies to Pst Tunde Bakare)... May God help us

This is Goodnews! Finally, the corrupt Governors are planning a move to align with the Corrupt APC moguls. PDP is being sanitized. FRESH AIR!

TechRev: ... Amazing, nigerians shout pdp is our ruin, nothing to show for 12 yrs. They shout we must replace pdp. So the pdp guys now leave pdp to help nigerians replace pdp with themselves under new name media APC. Jokers ... So if buhari and Tinubu can dialogue with pdp govs to bring their structures to them, its obvious pdp aint the problem. How can a sane man use the problem as his solution? Naija ehh ...

Well spoken my brother. Nothing more to add!!

If true, PDP don finish.
However, these governors are coming to take backseat in APC. Cos APC sef don full.

femmy2010:

I still have this feeling that a Buhari led government would bring Nigeria back to the path of greatness.

Excuse me!! Are you for real? Even when he was an Army General Buhari could not control the likes of Babangida and Abacha who eventually got rid of him. What makes you think he will be able to control all these corrupt PDP/APC folks? I beg shine your eyes

Billyonaire: This is Goodnews! Finally, the corrupt Governors are planning a move to align with the Corrupt APC moguls. PDP is being sanitized. FRESH AIR!

Sanitize what?
Certainly sure mean something else.

If the PDP guys move to APC what then is the difference between the old and the new parties? If the people we considered bad Governors of PDP suddenly change party to APC will it make them now good? It's like we are doomed with these same crop of leaders, imagine when OBJ now supports APC?

Billyonaire: This is Goodnews! Finally, the corrupt Governors are planning a move to align with the Corrupt APC moguls. PDP is being sanitized. FRESH AIR!

Ode

what has pdp achieved in the last 14 years in power ?

This report is nothing but another SUPER STORY.

But assuming the report is true, does it mean that immediately some PDP governors decamp to Tinubu's APC, their sins will be forgiven and they'll automatically become "progressives" and "performers"?
I thought Tinubu's APC and his foot solders on this forum said the problem with Nigeria is PDP?
Hypocrisy dey smell here joor!

Meanwhile, the lightening speed with which this thread made front page is record breaking. The moderators NEVER fail to show loyalty to Tinubu's APC.

If this is indeed true, then APC is dead on arrival. Firstly, the only reason why anyone would support an opposition party is as an alternative to the current mafia/cartel that has the country under its grip. If you have all the 'same men' from the political cabal, these same criminal looters, then why should I vote for you? If its going to be more of the same, then I'll sit my ass at home and watch the elections. Shiiit!
Secondly, if you have 10 PDP govs from the North (the same PDP that we are trying to get rid of), then you'll basically have the same PDP controlling both parties. The CPC and ACN would be marginalized in the new formation. Abeg if thats the way its goin to be then naija is finished. Oh wait, naija has been finished. What am I saying?