The management of the Peoples Democratic Celebration, PDP, in Kebbi State is making frantic and last-minute efforts to forestall the deliberate defection of three serving senators to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Political Information learnt.
Barring any unexpected circumstances, the senators: Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South), are anticipated to formally declare their defection to the APC on Tuesday.
This follows a high-level assembly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The lawmakers had been led to the assembly on Friday by the APC Nationwide Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, and are reportedly set to defect alongside a lot of supporters, together with serving and former PDP executives throughout all three senatorial districts within the state.
The transfer has rattled the state chapter of the PDP.
Our reporter gathered that on Friday evening, the PDP State Chairman, Usman Bello-Suru, summoned an emergency assembly of celebration stakeholders in a bid to halt the looming political exodus.
A supply on the assembly disclosed that members weighed a number of methods, together with the potential of acquiring a court docket injunction or making private appeals to the lawmakers.
Nevertheless, the consensus was to have interaction the senators immediately and urge them to remain and strengthen the celebration at a essential time.
“A number of choices had been explored, together with authorized steps, nevertheless it was agreed that the perfect strategy can be to persuade them to stay within the PDP and proceed constructing what they’ve helped to ascertain over time,” the supply stated.
Nevertheless, efforts to succeed in the senators have confirmed tough.
“Because the defection information broke, they’ve stopped choosing up calls from the celebration chairman,” the supply added.
This disaster comes simply weeks after the identical PDP chairman, Usman Bello-Suru, issued a public assertion dismissing rumours of defection inside the celebration.
He stated then, “In a swift response to the insinuations that some members of the PDP within the state are making preparations to defect to the ruling celebration, I guarantee our members that PDP stays one indivisible entity that may proceed to play an opposition position within the state.”
The unfolding occasions seem to contradict that reassurance, particularly with a high-profile determine like Senator Aliero, a former two-term governor of Kebbi, ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and sitting senator, on the centre of the deliberate defection.
Aliero isn’t any stranger to political cross-carpeting, having beforehand left and rejoined the PDP.
Some celebration members, nevertheless, stay stoic within the face of the disaster.
“In the event that they determine to depart, life goes on,” a senior PDP chieftain stated.
“PDP is sort of a army barracks, troopers come, troopers go, however the barracks stays,” he stated.
Ought to the defections go forward as anticipated, the APC’s numerical power within the tenth Senate will rise to 68, whereas the PDP will likely be decreased to 30.