Defecting PDP governors maintain stance, turndown president’s overtures
Sokoto State governor, Governor Aliyu Wamakko has insisted that his defection along with the five other governors from the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) to the All Progressives Congress(APC) is permanent.
Wamakko declared their stand while addressing State House correspondents on Monday after a seven-hour meeting of some PDP governors, including three of the G-7 governors, with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.
Governors Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Sule Lamido of Jigawa said they would remain in the PDP while the five members of the G-7 PDP governors defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Daily Times reports:
Only governors Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State and Babangida Aliyu of Niger of the G-7 attended the meeting with President Jonathan. The meeting, which started at about 8.45 pm on Sunday night at the First Lady’s conference room, Presidential Villa, ended around 3.09 a.m. on Monday.
Wamakko, however, said he attended the meeting following a presidential invitation extended to him and his other colleagues. He said that the meeting afforded him
the opportunity to brief President Jonathan that the G-5 Governors who defected were no longer in the PDP because they since moved to another party.
”Well, the meeting went on very well because some of us came here as governors to discuss PDP matter and our position has been known. ”On behalf of the five of us, I have already briefed Mr. President on our position as G-5 that we are no longer in the PDP mainstream and that we are already in another party.
”But, as a president of this country, if he calls us, we will come and listen to him and respect him as a leader of our country, otherwise what we had there was mainly a PDP affair,” he said.
Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said it was part of President Jonathan’s efforts to ensure harmony and peace in the PDP.
”Mr. President is not relenting. He is very serious about consulting with all strata and all bigwigs in the party, particularly the governors who are aggrieved, with a view to bringing everybody on board and ensuring harmony and unity of the party and the governors,” he added.
He refuted the insinuation that the meeting with the president was unfruitful as the aggrieved governors maintained their position of leaving the PDP.
”How can all hope be lost? The party is very robust, large and as much as possible we are interested in keeping our leaders together. That is why we as governors are all here.
”We will continue to dialogue; this is not going to be the end. We have narrowed down few issues which we are taking up with Mr president and the governors are also going to discuss,” he said.
