FORMER Senate President Bukola Saraki has urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who intend to leave the party to quit.
Reacting to the gale of defection from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, in a statement on Thursday, April 24, Saraki said the party was not in crisis but in a moment of transformation.
According to him, the defections merely exposed long-standing insincerity among people who had already checked out of the party in spirit.
He added that those leaving were making space for genuine party members to step forward and refocus the PDP into a viable, people-centred opposition.
“My view is that those who want to leave the PDP should leave now and let the rest of us who want to stay concentrate on rebuilding the party and refocusing it to play the role of a viable opposition that will provide a better alternative for the good people of Nigeria.
“Therefore, it is in the interest of Nigeria and the survival of our democracy for the opposition to be vibrant and strong enough with the capacity to replace the ruling party at any point. Thus, my charge to our party members is that the PDP is merely experiencing a rebirth. Those who want to leave the party should go and let those of us remaining have a clear view of who we are talking to and where their political loyalty lies. All we need is for those who want to stay back in PDP to show commitment, and we can all work to rebuild the party.
He said the latest defections from the party, involving the entire members of the Delta State PDP, including the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, vindicated his stance of watching events unfold in the party.
“I have seen that there was no sincerity with the supposed leaders of the opposition. One was not sure of the next person one was talking to,” Saraki added.
He further assured party members across the country that there is “no cause for alarm” over the defections.
He urged members to remain calm, focused, and committed to the rebuilding of the party, describing the recent developments as an opportunity for the PDP to redefine itself.
Saraki also expressed confidence that the PDP would rebuild, mobilise, and gain new allies from other parties.
“Our numerous party members should know that the PDP is better with fewer members who are loyal, sincere, determined, dedicated, and committed to its ideas, ideals, and progress than to have so many who will identify with us in the afternoon and be romancing the ruling party in the night,” he added.
The ICIR reported that the Delta State governor, his predecessor and all PDP members in the state defected from the PDP to the APC on Wednesday, April 23.
Oborevwori announced the defection through his Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu.
James Manager, a former senator, also announced the PDP members’ defection after a meeting that lasted several hours at Government House, Asaba, the state capital.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M