Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu Denies Leaving Baraje-led PDP
The governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu, has denied media reports that he has given up membership of the breakaway faction of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Mr. Aliyu told PREMIUM TIMES that there was no basis to leave the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the party, and turn his back on colleague governors.
Speaking through his spokesperson, Danladi Ndayebo, the governor said reports suggesting that his absence at the meeting of the faction on Sunday, implied that he had quit the group, were untrue.
“The time of the meeting was changed from 8 p.m. to 2 p.m. and there was no way his Excellency could make it from Minna, and he has called to explain his absence which was recorded in the minutes of the meeting as reflected in the resolutions,” he said.
There were reports Tuesday that Mr. Aliyu has pulled out from what has become known as the new PDP because he was no longer comfortable with the group.
The spokesperson of the Baraje faction, Chuwuemeka Eze, accused the Bamanga Tukur leadership of the
party of spreading rumours about Mr. Aliyu’s alleged pull out. According to Mr. Eze, the reports were published just to “cause disharmony among us by the Tukur faction and enemies of democracy”.
He also described the report as published by a national daily as a “tissue of lie from the pit of hell and was just the imagination of the reporter and those behind it”.
Mr. Eze said the chairman of the faction, Abubakar Baraje, had already contacted the Niger governor and that Mr Aliyu “vehemently denied and refuted such an absurd and false report” adding that the governor had assured Mr Baraje that he would be the last person to leave the group comprising of seven serving governors, G7.
Mr. Eze said Mr Aliyu informed the factional chairman that it was wrong for anyone to leave the new PDP at a time when the struggle to reposition the party was about to yield the desired result.
“To us, this is just one of those evil machinations by failed politicians on the side of Tukur to cause disunity in a group that God in answer to the prayers of Nigerians brought to restore hope back to our dying democracy,” Mr. Eze said. “We would like to assure Nigerians that this is a fight we shall see to its logical end not minding all the evil plots against us as a group.”
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