Six APC Govs, 27 N’Assembly Members to Defect Soon, PDP Claims

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) may experience another gale of defection as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday claimed it was concluding discussions with six governors and 27 members of the National Assembly elected on the platform of APC ahead of their defection to the party.

The opposition party revealed that discussions on control of party structures in the affected states and senatorial zones had also reached advance stage and would be completed in a couple of weeks after which the governors and lawmakers would announce their defection to PDP.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, made this known in a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja.

He stressed that in line with decisions reached at the discussions, the members of the National Assembly defecting to the PDP would announce their defection when the National Assembly reconvenes, adding that it will increase the PDP majority in both chambers.

He said: “PDP has already concluded discussions with six APC governors and 27 APC members in the National Assembly, who have also drawn their consultations and secured the mandates of their constituents to move to the PDP ahead of the 2019 general election.

“The party assures that all grey areas of the agreement, including issues of waivers and accommodation for participation in primaries, are being smoothened out by the former Governor Liyel Imoke-led PDP Contact and Integration Committee, which has been galvanising our alliances among stakeholders across other parties, including those from the APC.

“These interests and movements from the APC to the PDP are indicators of the consensus by Nigerians to rally on the platform of the PDP to end the economic hardship, bloodletting, violence and infrastructural decay that have become the hallmark of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, and return our nation to the path of unity, national cohesion and economic prosperity, which the PDP is known for.”

The party expressed its readiness to take back control of power at the center, as well as in our traditional states of Plateau, Niger, Adamawa, Kano, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Imo, Edo as well as southwest states of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Lagos states.