APC Suffers Fresh Setback in Taraba

Wole Ayodele in Jalingo

Barely one year after loosing in the 2015 general election to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state on Tuesday suffered another setback as its state Secretary defected to PDP.

The APC Secretary, Hon. Tony Baba Suleiman, decamped to the ruling party in the state along with the party’s Chairman in Sardauna local government area, Hon Yusuf Gori Tanimu and hundreds of other members of the party.

Taraba was the only state in the North where APC lost in all the elections conducted in the 2015 general election to the PDP with PDP winning the presidential, governorship and majority of the seats in the national and state assemblies elections.

Explaining the reason for their defection, Suleiman said the leadership of the APC in the state has resorted to petty politics by sidelining majority of its supporters that supported and gave it life in the state.
He equally accused the party of lack of inclusiveness and abandonment of its teaming supporters, saying the party has become bereft of ideas and directionless.

According to him, “As if it is not enough that the leadership of the APC here in Taraba State is bereft of ideas and is directionless, they have resorted to the petty politics of sidelining, lack of inclusiveness and abandonment of the few supporters that had their backing and gave them life”

The APC scribe further noted that as truly and objective Tarabans who are passionate about the state and its all round revampment which the state governor, Darius Ishaku is championing, they need not think twice before switching to PDP.
Insisting that their defection was not about them, Suleiman maintained that there has to be Taraba before there can be a Taraba State chapter of any party, stressing hate APC of the day in the state is not in the interest of Taraba State.

Receiving the decampees at the party’s secretariat in Jalingo, PDP Chairman, Hon Victor Bala Kona said PDP has an everlasting agreement and pact with the people of Taraba State, saying the party has no opposition in the state.

Assuring the decampees that they have become full fledged members of the PDP with every right as other existing members, he urged them to go and re-register as bonafide members of the party just as he thanked them on behalf of the state chapter of the party for coming back to PDP.

Speaking on the raging crisis in PDP at the national level, Bala Kona said the crisis was a family affair which would soon be resolved stressing that all the state chapters of the party remain one despite the misunderstanding being witnessed at the national level of the party.

Insisting that APC failed the country within just 13 months of assuming the mantle of leadership of the country, the PDP boss charged all Nigerians particularly supporters of PDP to work assiduously to ensure PDP returns to power in 2019.

“APC is a virus, APC federal government has failed Nigerians. Where is the change? Nothing has changed. People are suffering. Every Nigerian must work to change APC in 1999. PDP remains the only solution for Nigeria,” he maintained.