From Saka Bolaji, Minna
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger state has described as fraudulent alleged recycling of former PDP members who had earlier left the opposition party immediately after the 2015 general elections by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The PDP on Monday also carpeted the ruling APC over its claim that 34,000 members of its party defected to the APC at the “Unity Rally” held last Saturday saying the crowd at the trade fair complex where the rally was held was not up to the figure bandied.
Tanko Beji the state chairman of the party said the APC went about “recycling people” to show that they had gained more converts to their fold.
Addressing a news conference in Minna Tanko Beji said it was sad that those that joined the APC way back in 2015 and were unveiled at the Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre that year were still paraded as new decampees.
He said:” I don’t believe 35,000 people defected that day, you couldn’t have had 35,000 at that Trade Fair Complex, the crowd there was not more than 10,000, some of them were even rented.”
Tanko Beji specifically singled out the former deputy chairman of the PDP, Yusuf Aminu, from among those that defected saying: “We expected this to happen, he was discovered to be a mole that is why we suspended him from our party We did a house clearing we saw him as a mole he was more of a liability than asset.”
“Anybody who stands for nothing can fall for anything,” Tanko Beji declared adding that some of those that defected ” have no principles, they are in politics because of what they can get; they cannot stand the heat”.
The PDP chieftain declared that the state working committee of the party was intact contrary to the claim by the APC: ” Our party is intact our party is waxing stronger and stronger.”
However the APC also on Monday insisted that 34,838 PDP members defected to it but stressed “we did not present 34,000 people on the stage last Saturday”.
The party’s Secretary, Mohammad Liman said: “Those you saw were high profile defectors, some local governments have 2,000 defectors”.
Leave a Reply