Northeast LP Support Groups Defect to PDP

By Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Ahead of the February Presidential election in Nigeria, the North East Support Groups and Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP) have dumped the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Announcing the decision during a press Conference held at Khairan Guest House in Bauchi on Tuesday, the Spokesperson of the Party’s Presidential Campaign Council, North East, Muhammad Pantami, declared that over 40 million voters in the North East sub-region will vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in the 2023 general elections.

According to him, based on their observations, the action of the leaders of the party has rendered the support groups and the Presidential Campaign Council of the party in the North East worthless most especially during presidential Campaign rallies despite having huge number of party members of about 4 million voters.

Muhammad Pantami further explained that they have not been carried along during campaign rallies in almost all the states of the North East which include Taraba, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe and Borno.

“And from all indications the story will not change in Yobe State tomorrow 1st February, 2023”, he said.

Pantami who lamented that the Labour Party has been bedeviled by lack of internal democracy, Tribalism and God-fatherism, alleged that his members have not been getting complete information about the internal functioning of the party.

He said power inside the party are concentrated among the leaders, such that, not all members are able to influence decisions.

Pantami further alleged that the Northern block are not been involve in the process of decision making in the party.

“We only see politicking activities going or asked to do something without

adequate time and other resources to prepare effectively, unlike the

southerners”, he said.

The Spokesperson of the North East Labour Party Presidential campaign council also revealed that lack of federal character is the order of the day in the party such that loyalty towards leaders becomes more important than loyalty to the party principles, policies, and patriotism.

Muhammad Pantami stated that the main stream politicking decision of the party, and the presidential campaign council (PCC) is tilted toward Southerners in the party, thereby sidelining Northerners.

“We the northerners, constitute about 65% of the voting in the presidential elections, our members are totally not satisfied with this

situation”, he said.

Pantami went further to note that “despite the fact that the North has greater percentage of voters, this problem of sidelining persists, the current situation calls for an action”.

According to him, loyalty to some few individuals that influence major decisions becomes more important than loyalty of the party constitution and patriotism which has made impossible for many hardworking stakeholders to be engaged properly in the politicking of the party.

He added that acute lack of proper engagement of

stakeholders, leaders and PCC Presidential campaign council members from the

North is one of the major issues that made it necessary for them to find an alternative platform for their political engagement.

Pantami noted that leadership actions and in actions in the Labour Party has not binded leaders and followers together in a mutual and continuing pursuit of a higher purpose, which he said has highly reduced the possibility of the success of the party in the coming presidential polls.

“Base on the aforementioned issues raised, we the leaders, stakeholders and

about 4 million registered voters in the six states of Taraba, Adamawa, Bauchi,

Gombe, Borno, Yobe resolved firmly to resign our membership from the labour party and defect to People’s Democratic Party”, he declared.

“We also resolved to declare our full support to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP”, he concluded.

In a related development, Alhaji Alhassan Bawu, the Campaign Director General of the Labour Party (LP), North-East zone and other party officials have defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The DG campaign of the party who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Bauchi on Tuesday, said “all the North-East chairmen of the party, state and zonal officers as well as national officers from the zone have also defected to the PDP with him in order to support the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar”.

He explained that their decision was based on the fact that they realised that the party was not strong and won’t be able to win a single seat in the region.

According to him, “We are purposely calling you to inform you that we from Labour Party from North-East consulted our people around the zone, from state chairmen, state and zonal officers and national officers in our zone.

“We sat down, discussed and decided to inform the public that we are massively defecting from the Labour Party to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and support its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“We are officially declaring that all the North-East executives of Labour Party are defecting to PDP and support Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“We don’t want to waste our votes and we want to use this time to mobilize and to give vote to who has the capacity to win the election and that’s why all of us decided to go to PDP and vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” he said.

He further explained that they decided to defect to the PDP instead of any other party because they believed the party and its presidential candidate has the capacity to handle the country.

“If we support him, we know that our votes will help him in becoming the president of this country,” he said.