There are strong indications that top Peoples Democratic Party leaders are set to dump the main opposition party for the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The Point gathered from impeccable sources within the PDP that, following the ouster of the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, leaders of the party, who had decamped to the PDP, owing to what they described as undemocratic handling of party affairs under Oshiomhole, had begun their return moves.
A very reliable source said the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee of the APC had, in the past few weeks, been working round the clock to bring former key figures of the party, “who had left in annoyance as a result of the high-handed and unruly behaviour of the sacked National Chairman” back to what he called a “sanitised” APC.
“They used the NWC to settle personal scores and map out strategies to corner the entire party machinery.
Thank God that the “coup” against them came when they least expected. Everything is fine now. You will hear about many defections in the next few weeks, maximum, months. People are just waiting for the Edo and Ondo elections to be over”
The source, who spoke in confidence, owing to the sensitivity of the issue, disclosed, “I can tell you that former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Kano State, their loyalists and many of those that had left the party angrily will soon come back to their base.
What was causing the problem has been removed. All they need is the clear road. And that has been cleared. Those in charge of the party before the 2019 election planned a “coup” for anyone they saw as a threat.
“They used the NWC to settle personal scores and map out strategies to corner the entire party machinery. Thank God that the “coup” against them came when they least expected. Everything is fine now. You will hear about many defections in the next few weeks, maximum, months. People are just waiting for the Edo and Ondo elections to be over.”
Governor Tambuwal had dumped the ruling party in the build-up to the 2019 election, explaining on his Twitter handle that he took the decision after a wide consultation with the people of the state, who assured him of their support for his next political move.
That announcement came after he called on Nigerians to reject what he described as “prison-yard democracy”.
Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, left the party after his Benue and Kwara state counterparts, Samuel Ortom and Abdulfatah Ahmed, also left APC for the PDP.
They all hinged their decisions on what they called high-handedness on the part of the leadership of the party.
Though it was learnt that talks were also ongoing with the Presidential Candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, feelers from his camp did not support the insinuation that he might be considering dumping the main opposition party anytime soon.
When contacted, his spokesperson, Segun Showunmi, dismissed the speculation that his principal might be considering returning to APC as beer parlour rumour.
“Don’t engage in beer parlour talks, rumours and observations. Waziri Abubakar, by his stature and person, will announce every step he will take. There is no truth in that. He remains in PDP.
For now, that is a rumour and I am dismissing it,” Showunmi noted.
On his part, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former Senate President Bukola Saraki, refused to reply our correspondent’s enquiry even after he had demanded that a text message be sent to him on the matter.
