Mass defection looms in PDP after Atiku’s loss at tribunal

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are reportedly considering defection to the ruling All Progressive Party (APC) following former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s loss at the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday, September 11, 2019.

According to Punch, the development has prompted members of Board of Trustees of the PDP to travel to Dubai on Saturday, September 14, 2019, to hold a meeting tagged ‘‘strategic consultation’’ with Atiku.

It was gathered that the meeting was necessitated due to argument among senior members of the party.

It was also reported that the allegation by Governor Wike of Rivers State that some people were visiting President Muhammadu Buhari at night was also causing rancour among the party members.

Recall that Wike was the first member of the opposition party to congratulate President Buhari on his victory at tribunal despite his party’s rejection of the court’s judgement.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike ece-auto-gen

Explaining why he congratulated Buhari, the governor said, "Many PDP governors go to see him in his house in the night. I have never gone and I will not go. I won’t go.

“We are the only state that the Federal Government refused to pay us our money used to execute federal projects because I don’t go to see him in the night and I won’t go".

Now, some members of the PDP are reportedly planing on how to defect from the party to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Atiku is also said to have been residing in the UAE for some time now.

Confirming PDP members’s trip to the UAE, the Chairman of PDP BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin said they were going to the country on Saturday to meet Atiku.

“Yes. The PDP BoT members will travel on Saturday to Dubai to see our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar as part of our strategic consultation. The consultation is going to be nation-wide. He is the first person we will meet for the consultation.”

He added that the BoT will meet on Thursday to deliberate and decide on Ayu’s committee report.

The Ayu’s committee was set up by the BoT to investigate the emergence of Elumelu as the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, Wike had earlier alleged that the committee members were corrupt.

According to Punch, this allegation is one of the bone of contentions among the opposition party members , who are now considering defection to the ruling All Progressive Congress.