PDP woos Saraki, Dogara

The PDP has said its doors are open to Senate President, Bukola Saraki; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, or any other defector in the National Assembly who may wish to dump the APC.

This is coming amid fears that the APC might punish the rebel lawmakers, who went against the party’s wish to vote in Saraki and Dogara instead of Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate president and Speaker respectively.

Deputy national publicity secretary, PDP, Abdullahi Jalo, said the party was ready to accept Saraki, Dogara and their supporters in the National Assembly back to its fold.

Saraki was one of the leaders of a breakaway faction of the PDP known as the New PDP, which later merged with the APC.

Jalo stated that the PDP would continue to run a party that allows every Nigerian to join it whenever such individual wanted to. According to him, there is no absolute proviso preventing defection from one party to another.

He said, “Any politician is entitled to join any political party that he so desires to join. The PDP is for everyone. We don’t quarrel with anybody. We are still soliciting for more acceptability.

“The PDP is open to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (former Governor of Lagos State and national leader, APC); Bisi Akande (former Governor of Osun State and ex-National Chairman, APC) and any other persons in the ruling APC.

“The PDP is large enough to accommodate many people of diverse backgrounds. That is why we remain the largest party in Africa. We are never going to stop anybody from leaving or victimise them after they have left.

“The former Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal (now Governor of Sokoto State) left and the party did not sanction him, unlike the APC that is threatening Saraki with sanctions.”

A source in the PDP, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that some prominent politicians in the APC had begun talks with the PDP in view of the 2019 presidential election.

“In the APC, we have people who have signified their interest in the 2019 presidential election. They will come when the time is appropriate and we will accommodate them,” the source said.

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