- More governors to join APC, says Ganduje
- Party chair receives NNPP senator, others
The defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other key Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is shocking and painful, Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum said yesterday.
Acknowledging the decimation of the chapter, he said the PDP’s fate is in God’s hands.
Damagum said to fill the vacuum, the PDP leadership would immediately set up a caretaker committee to steer the affairs of the Delta chapter.
He spoke on the defection at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, shortly before the presentation of Certificate of Return to Jude Ezenwafor, the party’s candidate for the November 8 Anambra State governorship election.
Apart from Oborevwori, key PDP leaders who defected to APC in Delta include Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator James Manager, House of Assembly Speaker Emomotimi Guwor, other state and federal lawmakers, commissioners, local government chairmen and councillors.
Yesterday, APC National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who welcomed Oborevwori to APC, hinted that more PDP governors would defect to the ruling party.
Also, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inclusive and engaging style attracts more people to the APC.
But, former Senate President Bukola Saraki said there was no cause for alarm. He rallied members to reposition the PDP as a credible alternative platform.
Lamenting the defections, Damagum said: “It’s a decision takn by them, but the pains will remain with us, not because of anything, but because we have given Delta State all our support, from the emergence of the governor to the support for his predecessor, who also doubled as our Vice presidential candidate.
“I think we have done it all for them in Delta State, and we least expected this action from them.”
Damagum, who was accompanied by the acting National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, the National Legal Adviser, Alhaji Kamaldeen Ajibade, and the National Organising Secretary, Captain Bature Umar (rtd), said APC has started deploying its tactics.
He said: “You may have your own tactics, but you cannot outplay God. We leave our faith in the hands of God, and we believe He will help us out of this great situation.”
Damagum urged party members to guard their loins against threats to the 2027 general elections.
He said: “I know that Nigerians are eager to hear from us about what happened to the PDP in Delta state.
“It is very sad and unfortunate because, to me, if there is any state that should think that way, it should not have been Delta, because the party has been very magnanimous to them.
“But I thank God that they have not said that the party did anything wrong to them other than good.
“This is a party that has seen more than that, but it is still standing, and I want to use this opportunity to say, we’ll take over our structures immediately by setting up a caretaker team. We are still taking stock, and we will do that immediately.”
Damagum added: “I want to remind us about what happened in 2023: the PDP can still make it.
“Peter Obi had no governor, but he muscled those votes that he muscled.
“So, this election in 2027 will not be about how many governors you have or how many leaders; it’s about Tinubu versus Nigerians and they will give him the result before noon on voting day because you can coerce, persuade, and intimidate our members to support you, but the ordinary man is feeling the pinch and the decision is his.
“I want to urge all of us to close ranks and rescue ourselves from this hardship that is inflicted on us by design, not by any coincidence.
“Policies are meant for people, not animals. But they made policies that are not yielding good results for the ordinary people.”
PDP will win Anambra, says Ezenwafor
Ezenwafor, accompanied by his wife, members of the Anambra State Working Committee and his campaign team, said he would return home to consolidate and win the governorship election.
He said governors from other states would soon be coming to learn governance strategies from his exemplary leadership in Anambra.
Ezenwafor said: “After my election, all other governors will come and take lessons, especially on security. As a former Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, I will not take things for granted.”
More governors will defect, says Ganduje
Ganduje said more PDP governors would defect to the APC, adding that the 2027 general election is a done deal for the ruling party.
He spoke at his residence in Abuja, where he received some Kano State New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) chieftains, led by Senator Kawu Sumaila and former Secretary to Kano State Government, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, who defected to the APC.
Ganduje said: “In APC, we believe in President Tinubu. We believe in his economic reforms and his Renewed Hope, part of which is trying to canvass for more followership in the party.
“We started by democratically electing governors, especially in Edo State, which was under the PDP. We contested, and we succeeded in winning the election. The state is now under the APC.
“Now, there is another channel that has been opened through advocacy, through dialogue, through convincing some highly-placed and even elected governors to come into the party. And you can see what has happened.
“The governor of Delta is now in APC, including his cabinet, all the members of the state Assembly and House of Representatives, and the timber and calibre of PDP, even the former vice presidential candidate.
“So, you can see that we are expanding. I don’t want to reveal our secret, but what I’m telling you is that for APC, 2027 is a done deal.”
He insisted that more PDP governors would switch to APC, adding that the ruling party would win the proposed off-season elections.
Sumaila said the defectors have pledged to work for the success of the APC in Kano and at the national level.
Other defectors are Kabiru Alhasan Rurmum (Rano/Kibiya), Abdullahi Sani Rogo, Zubairu Massu, Mohd Digol, Abbas S. Abbas, Sha’aban Lawal, Badamasi Danbatta, and Idris Dankuwa.
Tinubu’s style attracting defectors, says Sule
Sule, who hailed the gale of defections, attributed it to President Tinubu’s inclusive and engaging style.
The governor, who spoke on television, said the APC has more appeal because of the reform agenda of the administration.
He said: “You have a lot of people who have shown interest, even among the governors, who are coming into the APC.”
Sule stressed that the ongoing shift is not merely borne out of a political calculation, but a response to Tinubu’s leadership approach, which has created a sense of belonging among Nigerians.
He said: “When we are meeting with the president, you see the excitement among them. They feel accepted by this president, and they like him.”
Sule said the defection is an acknowledgement of the reforms and the kind of leadership being offered by the Tinubu-led administration.
Lukman: Governors’ defection won’t affect coalition talks
A former APC-NWC member, Salihu Lukman, said the gale of defections to the ruling party will not affect the coalition talks.
He said the beauty of democracy is about competition, adding that the purpose of the coalition is to ensure that in 2027, Nigerians are presented with options.
Lukman told reporters in Abuja: “We have gone far, and what has happened in terms of some governors and some leaders moving into APC is not going to distract us at all.
“Not long from now, the full details of the coalition will be unveiled to Nigerians. And the structure and the strategy in terms of how the election will be contested will be clarified.
“When the PDP governors issued a statement against the coalition, our response was that many of them are working for Asiwaju, and shortly after that, you saw the statement from the Akwa Ibom State governor, and of course, the Delta governor.
“Many more are expected to join the APC. People who genuinely worry for the country are expressing fear about a one-party state.”
He added: “We are not going to produce a new political structure that will be blind or ignorant of the character of politicians. Anybody coming in will be related to, based on their past trajectory.
“So, if truly we want to rescue the country, we are not talking of rescuing the country as just defeating Asiwaju and APC.”
Saraki: we’ll reposition PDP
Saraki, who said he was inundated with calls from members, urged those who wish to leave the PDP to do so now so those who want to stay can concentrate on rebuilding the party.
Warning against a one-party state, he said: “It is in the interest of Nigeria and the survival of our democracy for the opposition to be vibrant and strong enough with the capacity to replace the ruling party at any point.
“Thus, my charge to our party members is that the PDP is merely experiencing a rebirth.
“Those who want to leave the party should go and let those of us remaining have a clear view of who we are talking to and where their political loyalty lies.
“All we need is for those who want to stay back in PDP to show commitment, and we can all work to rebuild the party…
“It is our responsibility as party members to ignore their antics and seize the moment and momentum to make our party stronger and better.”
Saraki, who said it was shocking for the running mate to the standard bearer of a leading party to abandon ship to join the ruling party, added: “Our party members should not lose focus, hope, or the determination to win.
“We should see the current development as a challenge to rebuild and refocus the party. Tomorrow is very bright.”
