6 govs, 27 lawmakers to dump APC for our party ‘in a couple of weeks’ —PDP

Baring any last minute change of mind, six governors and 27 federal lawmakers elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, will defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) “in a couple of weeks”, the opposition party has claimed.

This was disclosed in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Wednesday.

According to Ologbondiyan, the elected APC officials had concluded consultations and had secured the mandates of their constituents to move to the PDP ahead of the 2019 general elections.

“The PDP verifies that discussions on control of party structures in the affected states and senatorial zones have also reached advanced stage and would be completed in a couple of weeks.

“After the consultations, the governors and lawmakers will announce their defection to the PDP.

“However, in line with decisions reached at the discussions, the members of the National Assembly decamping to the PDP will cross-carpet at the reconvening of session in the two chambers.

“This will increase the PDP majority in both chambers.

“The party assures that all grey areas of the agreement, including issues of waivers and accommodation for participation in primaries, are being smoothened by the former Governor Liyel Imoke-led PDP Contact and Integration Committee.

“The committee has been galvanizing our alliances among stakeholders across other parties, including those from the APC.”

Read also: Confusion in PACT as Elishama Ideh declares ‘I’m still in the race’

The party, which commended the spirit of tolerance, dialogue, accommodation and oneness of purpose that pervaded the alliance among members, also expressed its readiness to take back control of power at the centre as well as in the party’s traditional states of Plateau, Niger, Adamawa, Kano, Bauchi, Nasarawa and Kebbi.

Ologbondiyan, in the statement, also listed Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Imo, Edo as well as South-West states of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Lagos as states it is ready to conquer in the 2019 general elections.

“The PDP therefore charges all members and supporters to remain steadfast and wary of the gimmicks of the deflated APC, which has resorted to sponsoring spurious publications filled with deceptions, fabrications and lies against our party”, the party said.

 

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