Cracks in nPDP as leaders weigh defection options
It was also gathered that the leaders of the nPDP are no longer unanimous in their plan to dump the APC for the PDP.
Some of leaders are currently weighing options on whether to leave or not.
Sources said while some nPDP leaders have made up their minds to leave, a few others are yet undecided.
“Some of our leaders have concluded plans to leave APC for other parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But the time and the manner of exit are still being worked out,” one source said.
“Some nPDP leaders have opted for a fight-to-the-finish module in APC before quitting .Their plan is to make a mess of APC and leave it in tatters before their defection. They do not want APC to have its cake and eat it.”
Some of those likely to defect are Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Senators and many House of Representatives members from Bauchi State; Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed; ex-Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, ex-Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako; Senator Barnabas Gemade and Senator Dino Melaye.
Some of those said to be non-committal at the moment are ex- Zamfara State Governor Sani Ahmed Yerima; ex-Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje, ex-Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wammako; ex-Kebbi State Governor Adamu Aliero; ex-House of Reps Deputy Speaker Bayero Nafada; among others.
Adamawa State Governor Jibrilla Bindo; Senator Adamu Abdullahi; Senator Kabiru Gaya; Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, all of whom belong to the nPDP are likely remain in APC.
A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said local peculiarities and some exigencies have compelled some nPDP leaders to start weighing their options.
The source said: “Although Dr. Saraki has not provided a beacon of where he is headed in 2019 for his loyalists and followers, the dust raised by the Offa bank robbery saga may have ended his stay in APC.
“Even if he wants to remain in APC, his numerous supporters will not allow it. His most predictable destination will be PDP but those in the opposition in Kwara State, led by ex-Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Olanrewaju Suleiman might resist his defection. In the alternative, the PDP elements will shift base to APC. The party leadership has been asking Prof. Abubakar to put the interest of PDP above his personal ambition to be governor of the state.”
Ex-Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, who is a member of the PDP Contact and Mobilization Committee, is said to have had informal talks with some PDP leaders in Kwara State who registered their opposition to Saraki’s return to the party.
Continuing, the source said: “as a politician with a strong and solid political base, the national headquarters of PDP will, no doubt, ignore its present members in Kwara State and hand over the party structure to Saraki wholesale.
“It will be a repeat of what PDP did for Saraki in 2003 when ex-Governor Muhammed Lawal seized All Peoples Party (APP) from the late strongman of Kwara Politics, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki.
“But Saraki may not leave APC without a fight for the soul of the party he co-founded with other chieftains. How it will play out will be determined by the coming convention.”
Speaker Yakubu Dogara is quoted as saying repeatedly that he can “no longer cohabit” with the APC which has sidelined him.
The source said: “With Dogara, three Senators and most members of the House of Representatives and members of the State House of Assembly, Bauchi State may witness massive defection than any APC controlled state.
“The recent visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Bauchi State was a pointer that the governor has lost considerable goodwill because the stadium complex (the venue of the reception) was half-filled.”
On the situation in Gombe, the source said: “As for Goje, his moving is going to demystify him politically. He does not have the total control of the state and about 70 to 80 per cent of his supporters will not go with him. It is politically strategic for him to remain in APC.
“The scenario was also strange for Goje politically in 2015. Buhari got more votes in Gombe in 2011 when Goje was a sitting PDP governor than in 2015 after the ex-Governor had crossed to APC.
“And Goje was the only APC Senator who Buhari personally campaigned for in 2015 to win his senatorial ticket. He virtually prevailed on Buhari to campaign for him in all the local government areas in his district.
“The dynamics may have changed but it will be suicidal for Goje to defect to PDP because he is going to meet his match in Governor Hassan Dankwambo who is fully in control of his party’s structure.
“Already, Dankwambo has a swap alliance with ex-Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sen. Bayero Nafada, who has fallen out with Goje. The alliance borders on the fact that while Nafada will succeed Dankwambo in 2019, the governor will pick his senatorial ticket if he is not elected as the presidential candidate of PDP.
“Nafada has also not defected because he is unsure if Dankwambo will keep to their gentleman (unwritten) agreement or not.”
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