Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have raised alarm over what they called intimidation of their members to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), by the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government.
They raised the alarm against the backdrop of the recent defection of Zamfara state governor, Bello Matawalle, saying he was forced to make the move.
In a statement signed by the Director General PDP Governors’ Forum, Cyril “CID” Maduabum, Thursday, the party berated the federal government and advised them to stop poaching its members.
The statement in part read: “It is quite distressing and shameful to watch PDP governors and some other stakeholders who are forced to join APC being paraded at the Presidential Villa like captured persons, immediately after their acquisition as culprits by the APC.
“Admittedly, everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but the immorality of it all is quite nauseating. No principles are involved or invoked. It doesn’t matter whether you are a convicted criminal or a wanted person by security agencies. It doesn’t matter whether you are fingered in various investigations like the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC scams, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC probes, or other accusations of fleecing the nation of billions of naira.
“The PDP Governors’ Forum has noted the seeming capture of one of the governors of PDP by the APC and the federal government by deploying unlawful threats, intimidation and outright underhand tactics.
“When Mr President directly and pre-judicially regretted in his recent interview that Zamfara State is governed by another party other than his own, it was a clear subtle threat to the governor of the State to join him or face consequences.
“Earlier, all sorts of threats had been deployed by the illegal APC Caretaker /National Convention Planning Committee whose only job seems to be to just lure PDP governors and other PDP stakeholders abandoning in the process their mandate of organising a national convention.
“Supporting Zamfara and other affected states to tackle insecurity shouldn’t be politicised nor should joining APC be a subtle condition precedent for security or other assistance.
“We remember the infamous statement by the former APC national chairman that once you join APC, all your sins will be forgiven by the powers that be. This appears to be the guiding principle of Mr. President and APC.
“The way and manner APC celebrates the capture of any PDP governor or stalwart, you would think that a major Boko Haram or insurgent terrorist leader has been neutralised.
“If Mr. President or APC can spend 10 per cent of the energy they use in wooing PDP governors and stalwarts in tackling the ravaging incidents of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, herders/ farmers conflicts, separatist tendencies, or in building infrastructure, providing food, health care, education and tending to the general wellbeing of Nigerians, our country would be a better place.
“There is no redeeming quality in the present APC or its government. Nothing! A political party that cannot constitute its Board of Trustees, a political party that is ruled by a military-like constituted National Executive Committee, NEC and unelected executives at all levels contrary to Section 223 of the constitution, has nothing to attract anyone.
“It is certainly not in a position to consolidate our democracy or engineer our national rebirth. A political party that has run the country aground and thrives in incompetence, corruption, bad governance and wanton destruction of all that has held Nigeria together over the years has nothing to offer Nigerians.
“It is therefore, obvious that anyone who defects from PDP or indeed any other party to APC today under the terrible conditions they have put Nigeria into is looking for something else other than the good of the nation.
“The APC and its government at the federal level now constitutes a clear and present danger to Nigeria and especially its democracy. We will continue to resist the attempt by the APC to foist a one party dictatorship on Nigerians.
“We are confident that if Nigerians are allowed to express their political preferences through a free and fair election, APC will be roundly rejected as the PDP remains the only credible, acceptable alternative platform that could deliver good governance for Nigeria. It is time for well-meaning Nigerian patriots to rise and join together to rescue Nigeria from the APC malaise.”
