Why PDP Members Are Dumping Party- APC

The ruling All Progressive Congress said it is not surprised that Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, is losing  members through massive defection to APC, saying the PDP is suffering from
leadership tussle and lack of funds.

Nigeria’s ruling party stated this view on Thursday in a mailed statement to THE WHISTLER.

The APC said, “For a party unable to run its Secretariat, pay staff salaries and its leadership grappling with a crisis of confidence, it will be unfair to expect its progressive-minded members to remain in the PDP which has failed woefully as the supposed ‘main’ opposition party in Nigeria.”

The statement comes after the defection of Governor of Ebonyi State, David Nweze Umahi, who cited injustice against the Igbo people by the PDP as reason for leaving the party.

The move has reignited debate over Igbo presidency.

The senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, Elisha Abbo, also left the PDP days after Umahi announced his decision.

Recently, the APC has also witnessed the influx of prominent PDP members and leaders including former PDP national chairman, Barnabas Gemade and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

“It is not surprising that progressive-minded members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been defecting enmasse from the opposition party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent times,” said APC.

The PDP is believed to be planning to field former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

But APC said, “For now, the PDP and Alh. Atiku Abubakar who has begun early 2023 campaign on the PDP’s presidential candidature he is poised to purchase, are engrossed with their Dubai meetings to plot their hallucinatory return to ensure their bid to sell off the remainder of our national assets. Nigerians are wiser.”

The ruling APC admitted readiness to welcome new and returning members who have come to work with the President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration to improve the lives of Nigerians.

The party added, “The Governor  Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee is working assiduously and has achieved great success in ensuring that the Party is repositioned, united, and conducts the planned membership registration, update and revalidation exercise to produce a clean, credible and authentic national membership register ahead of the planned National Convention.”