Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin, has expressed fears over the gale of defections that has hit the party in the aftermath of the Supreme Court judgment on the governorship dispute in Imo, Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Plateau and Benue states.
Jibrin, who spoke at the 88th National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP, in Abuja on Monday, said the defection of members of the Imo State House of Assembly, elected on the platform of the party in the wake of the ouster of Emeka Ihedioha as governor of the state, leaves much to be desired.
The BoT Chairman also expressed concerns over the face-off between the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and the outgoing Governor of Bayelsa State, Serieke Dickson, stressing the need for the party to maintain a united front.
The PDP leader, who said that he has reached out to the two governors on the issue, stated that he was waiting for them to get to him as they promised.
According to him, “there is an uncertainty in my mind and I don’t know whether you people will share it. It is the decamping (defection) of our members who worked with the governor of Imo state to the new APC government in the state, about nine of them. There is also the moving away from our party by the chairman of PDP in Kano State to APC.
“This our party must remain as one. About two weeks ago, I called the Rivers State Governor and I talked to him about what is happening between him and Governor Dickson of Bayelsa State. I was so happy with the way the governor of Rivers State responded…The governor of Bayelsa State responded by saying he’s going to contact me later. I am waiting for him to contact me,” Jibrin said.
He further expressed concerns that some members of the party are again mooting the idea of a name change for the PDP, stating that the BoT will resist any such move.
“I am also disappointed with the comments I read in the newspapers allegedly by a chieftain of our party of a plan to change the name of the PDP again. Please, count the BoT out of any effort to change the name of this party. We shall never allow it,” he stated.
