Nma Shekwolo – Minna
The governor of Niger state, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, leader of the G7 governors in the breakaway faction of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says members will consider joining the All Progressive Congress, APC, if the on-going negotiation with the Bamanga Tukur-led group fails to yield the desired result.
Aliyu said this when he played host to leaders of the APC led by its interim national chairman, Bisi Akande, in Minna on Tuesday.
The APC leaders were in the state to show support to the G7 governors in their struggle to reform the ruling party and to woo them to joining the new coalition party.
“We have declared ceasefire because we are negotiating, after that you can come with a blast. If we resolve, we will still be friends and if we don’t resolve, you will have as many of us as possible. As a group, we the G7, are people who keep to agreement,” Aliyu said.
The G7 leader described the APC as a harbinger of a revolution that will sanitise the politics of Nigeria, saying that the emergence of the party in the political landscape “would bring the best out of 2015 elections as Nigerians would have the opportunity to have two major parties to seek for their favour.”
He therefore warned the ruling PDP to be cautious, tread softly and be tolerant with opposition parties, predicting that “the ruling party today may be opposition tomorrow”.
He described the internal struggle rocking the PDP as a revolution aimed at sanitising the party.
Earlier in his short address, the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the political barometer shows that the time for change in the country is ripe.
Tinubu noted that the country requires changes that have the welfare of the people as a cornerstone of its economic policies and is focused on quality of life for all citizens.
Other leaders of the APC on the delegation.former Presidential aspirant, Muhammadu Buhari, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari, Senate Miniority Leader, George Akume and former minister of Foreign Affairs, Tom Ikimi.
Also present were former minister of Works, Hassan Lawal, former Edo State governor, John Oyegun Odigie, former minister of Labour, Musa Gwuadabe and the party’s national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed.