The crisis rocking the Katsina state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday took a deeper dimension when the leading governorship aspirant, Alhaji Umar Tata defected to the All progressives Congress (APC).
Tata, who made the announcement while interacting with members of the social media at old Government House, Katsina, said the PDP has been taken over by impunity, greed and corruption, making it difficult for true democrats like him to thrive and realise their ambitions
He said: ‘’We are reaching out to our teeming supporters to intimate them of this development and at the same time we have reached out to his Excellency Governor Aminu Bello Masari and President Muhammadu Buhari to work out a possible date for our formal reception into the new party.
‘’We are teaming up with the ruling party to provide purposeful leadership and to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
‘’It is rather unfortunate that the leadership of the PDP at the state and zonal level have been gripped with greed and corrupt practices hence they sold out to a consensus arrangement. We wish them good luck.’’
His campaign director and personal assistant, Abdulrahman Danja, said the social media groups of Tata are working out an arrangement to team up with the Masari campaign organisation
It would be recalled five out of the six aspirants who purchased their nomination forms to contest the Katsina governorship seat under the PDP announced their defection, alleging imposition of Alhaji Yakubu Lado as the party’s consensus flag bearer for the election.
A spokesman for the aspirants, Abdulrahaman Danja, told our correspondent exclusively over the telephone that Tata, Garba Faskari, Musa Natsuni, Aminu Yar’Adua and Sada Ilu kofar, have decided to leave the party.
He disclosed they are negotiating with other parties to decide on which one they could pitch tent with.
Danja further stated the candidates were angered by the party leadership at the state, zonal and local level for picking a consensus candidates ahead of the party‘s primaries.
He said: ’’We were preparing for the primaries only to read in the news that Yakubu Lado has been adopted instead as consensus candidate.
‘’This is high display of impunity by the PDP and we certainly are living and currently negotiating with another party to join, in the next few days we shall tell you our new party soonest.”