Saraki, Kwara Governor, Nigeria’s South Africa Envoy Dump APC; Join PDP

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, July 31st, 2018

By Ganiyu Nasirudeen with Agency Report

…Bolaji Abdullahi Dispels Defection Rumour

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Exactly a week after the gale of defection hit the National Assembly NASS, the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his political son – Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed have dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party PDP.

Saraki in his verified Twitter handle @bukolasaraki late Tuesday saying: “I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Later in a press release personally signed by him and emailed to media organisations by his media office, the Senate President said:

“When we left the PDP to join the then nascent coalition of All Progressives Congress in 2014, we left in a quest for justice, equity and inclusion; the fundamental principles on which the PDP was originally built but which it had deviated from. We were attracted to the APC by its promise of change. We fought hard along with others and defeated the PDP.

“In retrospect, it is now evident that the PDP has learnt more from its defeat than the APC has learnt from its victory. The PDP that we return to is now a party that has learnt its lessons the hard way and have realized that no member of the party should be taken for granted; a party that has realized that inclusion, justice and equity are basic precondition for peace; a party that has realized that never again can the people of Nigeria be taken for granted”.

The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed on Tuesday said he had defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP from the All Progressives Congress.

While making his announcement, Governor Ahmed in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede said he took the decision after wide consultations.

“Following due consultations with the people and in response to calls by major stakeholder groups in the state, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed today defected to the PDP having realized that the APC can no longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and expectations of his people” the statement said.

It would be recalled that Governor Ahmed gave the hint last week Thursday about his looming defection to PDP. His cross carpeting now makes it the second APC Governor who have defected to the PDP.

Also Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ahmed Ibeto has resigned his appointment, dumped the ruling APC and decamped to the leading opposition, the PDP.

The diplomat was a Deputy Governor to the immediate past Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu of the PDP.

African Examiner gathered that Ibeto intends to join the Governorship race of the North central state, immediately he registered with the PDP.

The former Ambassador was a member of the PDP until the primary election of the party which held in November 2014. He lost in the contest to the incumbent Governor, Umar Nasko, who was then the Chief of Staff to former Governor Aliyu.

His resignation from the PDP with his supporters then was hinged on injustice visited on him.

Ibeto was appointed an ambassador and posted last year to South Africa by President Muhammed Buhari.

Meanwhile, another political son of Saraki and the APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, has debunked the speculations that he has resigned his membership of the party.

Abdullahi told newsmen at the APC secretariat in Abuja Tuesday that the report of his resignation trending in the media was not true, saying “there is no iota of truth in the report.”

According to NAN, the absence of the former Minister of Sports during the regular Monday meeting of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) fueled the speculations that he may have concluded arrangements to leave the party.

The anxiety over Abdullahi’s future with the ruling party was because of his closeness to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, who announced his exit from the APC on Tuesday.

In his reaction to Saraki’s exit from the APC, Mallam Abdullahi, said he was not considering leaving the party, stressing that “I came through the front door and will not go through the back door.”

Defending his absence at the NWC meeting, the APC spokesman said he actually notified the party’s national leadership of his absence from the meeting.

He said “it is not true that I have resigned and let me emphasis that there is no iota of truth in that report. I can understand where the speculation is coming from, perhaps because I was absent during the NWC meeting on Monday.

“However, the speculators didn’t know that I told my colleagues that I was away in Kwara State.

“I want to put it on record that I came through the front door and if I want to leave, I will leave through the front door”.