Four Governors Set to Dump PDP, as Stakeholders Accuse Makinde, Bala Mohammed of Working Against Party Unity
Thee crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a deep dive as four governors have reportedly concluded arrangements to dump the party and join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a new development, the governors including Mr. Caleb Mutsfang of Plateau, Mr. Agbu Kefas of Taraba, Mr. Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State are all set to join the APC in the coming weeks.
The PDP currently controls only eight states out of Nigeria’s 36 states, including Bauchi, Oyo, Adamawa, Osun, Plateau, Taraba, Rivers, and Zamfara
In a chat with FACTSHEET, a senior official of the PDP who spoke on the condition of anonymity stated that Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and his Bauchi State have not been “honest” with the party leadership as they are indirectly working for President Bola Tinubu.
The senior official revealed that, the two governor have decided to “hijack the party for their selfish reasons” noting that despite the fact that “both Makinde and Bala Muhammed are outgoing governors” the duo “are hellbent on selling off the PDP to the highest bidder with the sole aim of being undercover reporters for President Tinubu.”
According to the senior party official, “In the last few weeks, there have been major disruptions in the PDP as the duo of Governors Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde have rebuffed all reconciliation plans in the party insisting that the elective convention scheduled for Makinde’s Ibadan Oyo State must go on despite series of actions capable of rendering the scheduled convention “null and void.”
As part of the plans by the afore mentioned governors to defect to the APC, Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State who is the Chairman of the National Convention Committee, in a dramatic U-turn suddenly announced the suspension of screening of candidates, a move said to be due to the fact that he may not be at the convention as all plans were already concluded for him to abandon the party.
In his own case, Governor Agbu Kefas constituted a committee that went around Taraba State to “consult and seek opinion” of the people of the state on his plan to join the APC.
In Zamfara State, the gale of defection from the ruling party in the state, the PDP, has already started in the state House of Assembly. A member of the party in the state told FACTSHEET that several key members of the PDP including the lawmakers will join the APC and subsequently “urge governor Dauda Lawal” to join the ruling party in the “interest of the state.”
In Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutsfang has in the last few months “tactically” avoided the PDP Governors Forum’s engagement as well as various party engagements.
In the last six months, three PDP governors, namely Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori of Delta State, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and Peter Mbah of Enugu State.
Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State has also resigned his membership of the PDP, but has not openly declared for any party, though there are strong speculation that he is headed for the APC.
The PDP has been held down by an intractable leadership crisis that has in the last two years rendered the party ineffective as an opposition political party. The party has for over two years not been able to speak to Nigerians on any governance issues, but rather has trained its arsenal on its own members.
If the four northern governors defects to the APC, the PDP be left with only four governors among whom are Governor Ademola Adeleke and Siminalyi Fubara, two governor already seen as members of the APC.
