It has emerged that under the agreement
reached between the All Progressives Congress
(APC) and members of the faction of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), any member
of the National Assembly and state assemblies
from the ruling party who wishes to cross over
to the APC will be given an automatic ticket to
re-contest the 2015 elections, if he so desire.
Also, the agreement between the APC and the
PDP faction showed that the five PDP
governors that have joined the APC will be
given the powers to control their state
structures.
The same offer was also made to other PDP
state governors wishing to defect to the APC in
the future, while all members of the ruling
party who cross over to the APC will be free
and eligible to contest for office as members of
the executive committees of the opposition
party at all levels.
Five of the seven aggrieved governors of the
ruling party – Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu
Wamakko (Sokoto), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano),
Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), and Murtala Nyako
(Adamawa) – along with other members of the
splinter group, had declared their intention to
leave the PDP for the APC on Tuesday.
Their decision was the culmination of talks
between both sides and the execution of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that
spelt out the terms for members of the PDP to
join APC.
A senior APC source, who spoke to THISDAY on
the details of the MoU, said the terms gave the
PDP governors who chose to join APC the right
to control their state structures and also
guaranteed automatic tickets to members of
the federal and state assemblies to contest the
2015 elections.
“Also, with the registration of members of the
APC coming up in December and the national
convention and state congresses coming up in
December and January next year, all the
lawmakers wishing to contest will be given
automatic tickets, unless they opt out.
“Even in Katsina State, former Head of State,
General Muhammadu Buhari, accepted to allow
Governor Ibrahim Shema to control the state
structure of the APC, if he agrees to cross over
to the APC.
“You know this is an open invitation to the PDP
state governor, because there is no way the
PDP can win Katsina State again,” the APC
source said.
But in a bid to rationalise the decision by five
of its former aggrieved governors, along with
other members of the ruling party to join APC,
the PDP yesterday insisted that there was no
merger between the faction of the party,
stating that what happened was carpeting
crossing by its disloyal members.
In a statement by the National Publicity
Secretary, Olisa Metuh, PDP said: “What
happened was not a merger. You can only talk
of a merger where there were two distinct
parties. In this case there is only one party,
the All Progressives Congress (APC). The so-
called New PDP was never a party.
“This was established on October 10, 2013
when a Lagos High Court gave judgment against
the New PDP and on October 11, 2013 when
the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) wrote the New PDP to say that the
Alhaji Bamanga Turkur-led Peoples Democratic
Party was the only recognised party by that
name.
“From the above, it is quite clear that there
hasn't been a merger but an opportunistic
carpet crossing by disloyal elements into the
All Progressives Party.”
Metuh commended President Goodluck
Jonathan for advocating and adopting dialogue
in the face of anti-party activities by some
members of the party, saying: “The fact that
the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,
agreed to dialogue with this group was because
of his magnanimity and large heart as a leader.
“He demonstrated time and time again that he
is the epitome of humility and a father to all
members of the PDP and indeed all Nigerians
who are willing to go the extra mile in
engendering reconciliation. It does not mean
that this was a group recognised by law”.
According to Metuh, “The repudiation of the
action of these fringe elements by some who
had associated with them betrays the fact that
this was a rushed action motivated by blind
ambition and vain glory.
“And lest anyone thinks that the Peoples
Democratic Party is diminished because of the
departure of people who were in reality fifth
columnists, we would like to draw attention to
the fact that a tree that has been pruned of its
underperforming branches grows better and
blossoms with new life. This is the case in
biology as well as in politics.
“As for the All Progressives Congress, we
congratulate them on their new entrants, but
we would also like to recommend to them the
wise words of Chinua Achebe from his seminal
work 'Things Fall Apart'. Achebe said: ‘A man
who brings home ant-infested gays should
not complain if he is visited by lizards’.
“The Peoples Democratic Party is losing no
sleep over this carpet crossing because
disloyalty is a habit and it’s only a matter of
time before men who are disloyal to their
mother would become disloyal to their step
mother.”
In a related incident, the Adamawa State
governor yesterday disclosed that after due
consultations with his supporters, they had
unanimously agreed to jettison the ruling PDP
for APC.
Nyako, who was speaking during a
stakeholders’ meeting of his supporters
convened at the Government House, Yola, said
by implication, he is now the new leader of the
APC in the state.
Nyako said in accordance with the agreement
reached with the leadership of APC, he
automatically has become the leader of the
party by virtue of his position as the
incumbent governor of the state.
He said series of meetings and consultations
with his political associates were held on
Tuesday and he was advised by his supporters
to take over the leadership of APC in the state.
Nyako advised his political associates and
supporters to register with the APC,
particularly those desirous of contesting the
2015 general election under the platform of
the party.
The governor also debunked insinuations that
his first son, Abdulaziz Nyako, will be
contesting in the next election in the state
under the APC, stressing that none of his sons
would contest any election in 2015.
Meanwhile, despite the decision by one of the
aggrieved governors of the PDP, Sule Lamido
of Jigawa State not to defect, he has likened
the PDP national chairman to the polio virus
that has eaten deeply into the fabric of the
ruling party and by extension into the veins of
all Nigerians.
Lamido was speaking yesterday when he
received the former Head of State, General
Abdulsami Abubakar, who called on him in his
office.
According to the governor, PDP is in a
shambles as a result of the focusless leadership
style of Tukur who has no idea of how to move
the party forward.
He said even his colleagues who had recently
moved to APC did so out of frustration.
“Most of them had worked for the
advancement of the PDP in their states but
instead of the party to show appreciation, it
ended up sending people packing
unceremoniously,” he said.
Lamido extolled the virtues of Abubakar,
describing him as a democrat to the core
especially for his role in handing over power
to a democratically elected government.
Responding, Abubakar said Nigeria is at
crossroads and would need the prayers of all
to survive.
The military head of state warned that Nigeria
would not survive in an atmosphere dominated
by rancour and violence.
He urged all Nigerians to dissipate their energy
on peace, because democracy would not thrive
without peaceful coexistence among the
people.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/apc-to-give-automatic-tickets-to-defecting-pdp-lawmakers/165487/

Please how are the original APC loyalists and aspiring politicians feeling about all these.
State Party structure, handed over to G5 nPDP Governors, automatic tickets handed over to all cross carpeting PDP lawmakers... Please what are the ACN party faithfuls still doing there?
It seems the ex-PDP members are the true progressives!

These are concorted lies and inuendos created by PDP newspaper to cause disharmony and confusion in APC. Nobody should believe the rubbish published by Thisday newspaper. New-PDP members are not going to be allowed to rule over loyal party faithfuls.

That would be the beginning of the end for APC and there lies an opportunity for PDP.

Those APC stalwarts that are already on ground in those states would now have to be automatically schemed out despite toiling day and night to see the party gain grounds there.

PDP needs to swing on those vulnerabilities and exploit them promptly!

Another cheap lie from the PDP that is drowning in the pool of ogogoro.

PDP still weeping over G5 extraction and the G2 mole inplants. LoL

This guys are just looking for machinery, in the case of kwara state forget about it because our nominal governor will not join APC unless Dr.bukola saraki(the new eperior of kwara empire) tells him to .shikana.

This guys are just looking for machinery, in the case of kwara state forget about it because our nominal governor will not join APC unless Dr.bukola saraki(the new eperior of kwara empire) tells him to .shikena.

Lies

Nigeria leaders have bet our lifes and future in the game of poker and they are already losing. What happen to the billion of dollars that accrues from crude oil exploration in Nigeria? What happen to the internally generated revenue, with all these our leaders have failed in discharging their prime duty, they have failed in managing our resources for the development and betterment of our lifes and generation unborn. Nigerians are languishing in poverty yet we are smiling and embracing poverty when are leaders are smiling to the bank. Have asked myself for the umpteenth time that, is it not that our leaders are there to cater for our wellbeing, is'nt their prime objective. What have we done, where have we gotten it wrong that we are being robbed in the clear and open air and we feign ignorance to this. This is democracy we are running here. The people decide what is best for them but is our leaders that are dictating our destiny out of their own sheer greed and callousness.The best solution to end this once and for all and safeguard our future and the generation unborn is to round up and execute all these insatiable greedy obsolete leaders that have lost sympathy for the poor Nigerians and are preoccupied with siphoning our resources to enrich themselves and their children. Enough is enough is high time we started dictating our destiny ourselves and rescue ourselves from all these romanticize vampires. The bottom line is that they have no good intentions for Nigerians. We can'nt be getting poorer and hopeless by the day and our leaders are getting richer is a ridiculous paradox, and you start blaming God or your step mother for your conditions, nay God has been so merciful and benevolent to us we've been blessed with enormous resources that can catapult us to be the largest economy in the world, with all the resources abound Nigeria shore. All this old men and women" co- mistress" can'nt lead us anywhere but to doom. Sooner or later revolution is what is going to put an end to this. The gap between the rich and the poor is enormous that one day it will get to a point that the poor we have nothing left but to be devouring the rich. This is a wake up call for the aggrieved and downtrodden let's atleast rescue the generation of our children, let's be their hero before they milk us dry.

Lolz . .at those labelling it lies when a few days ago, they were in a frenzied mastvbation exercise all over the net

Please accept your true progressives in your desperate attempt to dislodge GEJ . .

Most of APC members will become disgruntled with life there, APC is sitting on a time bomb and Nigerians are waiting for it to implode before the explosion.

Tintinix: Please how are the original APC loyalists and aspiring politicians feeling about all these.
State Party structure, handed over to G5 nPDP Governors, automatic tickets handed over to all cross carpeting PDP lawmakers... Please what are the ACN party faithfuls still doing there?
It seems the ex-PDP members are the true progressives!

Mr it is called sacrifice and harmonization of interest. This is what the selfish PDP couldn't do, to make peace reign

automaticcars: These are concorted lies and inuendos created by PDP newspaper to cause disharmony and confusion in APC. Nobody should believe the rubbish published by Thisday newspaper. New-PDP members are not going to be allowed to rule over loyal party faithfuls.

egift: Another cheap lie from the PDP that is drowning in the pool of ogogoro.

PDP still weeping over G5 extraction and the G2 mole inplants. LoL

They had to agree on who gets what. That was the issue when you hear "discussions" and "negotiations"!

I know how you guys feel but the fact remains that APC is nothing but a gathering of selfish and desperate power hungry politicians who would do anything for power. There is nothing "progressive" about them.

The ugly truth is that they lost grip on power and they want it back at all cost.

terj:

Mr it is called sacrifice and harmonization of interest. This is what the selfish PDP couldn't do, to make peace reign

Hahahahahaahaha.

You can call it whatever you wish but the fact still remains that the APC has no shame!
The same PDP they are criticizing, is the one they are now going about begging for them to come and join them?

You people never know nothing!