The
frenzy that surrounded the historic merger of the rampaging All
Progressive Congress (APC) and the New Peoples Democratic Party (NPDP)
has left two lost governors of the PDP dangling in limbo. Impeccable
sources who spoke to Elombah revealed that as soon as the announcement
was made public, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and Sule Lamido
of Jigawa State chickened out as the heat became unbearable. According
to the source, Aliyu left before votes were cast to determine if they
should join the APC.Lamido we were told abstained from voting in support of the merger, calling for more time for the internal crisis to be resolved by Olusegun Obasanjo and some Northern elders.
Other sources who confided in us maintained that Aliyu and Lamido agreed to the merger and they are therefore surprised that he could dismiss their agreement less than two hours after the announcement was made to the press. Continuing they stated that Aliyu has been a major dramatis personae who pushed for them to join the APC and therefore it will be a betrayal on his part to chicken out for fear of the presidency
When prompted on why Lamido has also disowned the merger, the sources opined that calls placed to him from the presidency threatened him of the impending doom that awaits him, should he leave the fold of the PDP family.”His two sons are under EFCC radar and they will use it to nail and kill his political future, hence his running away from the merger after giving his consent to it.
With the running away of the weak governors who swallowed their words in less than 2 hours, the APC now has 16 governors while the PDP has 18 governors. Seasoned political analysts have however dismissed the absence of the two chicken hearted Governors as less of a threat to the merger.
According to seasoned political watchers; with Kano State and Lagos State in the merger, the APC has already made the PDP the opposition in the country in terms of number of electorate.
An insider in the camp of the merger group squealed to us that the President’s seat is now hot as he may be thrown out any time soon. When asked what that means, “impeachment process will begin in earnest to remove him, while key committees in the National Assembly will be reshuffled, for our members to hold the levers of power”, he explained.
Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, this afternoon rushed out a statement saying that he remains a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Mr. Aliyu stated this hours after the All Progressives Congress announced a merger with the Abubakar Baraje- faction of the PDP called ‘New PDP.’
The All Progressives Congress, APC, had this afternoon announced a merger with the Abubakar Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, tagged ‘New PDP’. Mr. Aliyu and six other PDP governors claim to belong to the ‘New PDP.’
The merger was announced at the end of a meeting at the Kano Governors Lodge in Abuja on Tuesday. Mr. Baraje read the terse communique to journalists at about 11.46 a.m.
Governor Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, in a statement said his principal was shocked “at the announcement of the merger of New PDP and APC even before a final decision was taken on the matter.”
Mr. Ndayebo said Mr. Aliyu was not present at the meeting where the merger deal was sealed between the New PDP and APC leaders as widely reported by the media.
The spokesperson said the Niger governor “insisted that talks were still ongoing with the president and would await the outcome of the negotiation before taking a final decision.”
Mr. Baraje had told journalists at the media briefing in Abuja, to announce the merger on Tuesday, that Mr. Aliyu left the merger meeting early but agreed with the decision.
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