Amaechi, Four Other PDP Govs, nPDP Join APC

Photo: Vanguard

PDP governors

Abuja — The lingering crisis of confidence between the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leadership and seven of its estranged governors reached a climax, yesterday, with the aggrieved governors formally defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
But it was not all rosy for the G-7 governors as two of the governors -- Babangida Aliyu of NigerState and his Jigawa counterpart, Sule Lamido-- disagreed with the other five on timing of the defection.
While Lamido stayed away from the meeting, Aliyu only showed up at the venue, met briefly with his counterparts and hurried out of the Kano Governor's Lodge, the venue of the meeting, before the communiqué announcing the merger of nPDP with APC, was read to the media.
In attendance at the meeting with the APC leaders, were the governors of Niger, Rivers, Kwara, Adamawa and a representative of the Jigawa Governor.
Governor Aliyu Wamakko of SokotoState is said to have taken permission of the G-7 to travel outside the country and had assured them of his unflinching support to the group even though he was not physically present at the venue of the event.
The strategic meeting had in attendance, former Head of State and chieftain of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.); former Lagos governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; nPDP chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; former Osun State Governor and PDP Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former Kwara State Governor, Bukola Saraki, and the former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Adamu Abdullahi.
Others present were former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, and former ANPP chairman and APC chieftain, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

The merger communique

The terse but history-making communiqué, which was jointly signed by the Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande and nPDP Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje read:
"A meeting of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the new PDP met this morning at the residence of the Kano State Governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in Abuja.
"After exhaustive deliberations, the two parties agreed to merge in order to rescue our fledgling democracy and the nation," the communiqué said.
Addressing journalists after the defection, the nPDP Chairman, Baraje, explained that the decision to merge with the APC meant that they had fused into the latter and agreed to work together in the overall interest of the nation.
"We are merging," Baraje said, adding, all these are implications of merging. What we are telling you is that we have merged and we have agreed to merge."
The formal signing of the merger Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, will take place next Tuesday.
Baraje denied any split in the ranks of the G-7, insisting that the Niger State Governor, Aliyu Babangida and his Kwara counterpart, Ahmed Abdulfatah, who went out before the end of the meeting, took permission to travel and were duly permitted to leave.