The Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has given reasons why he refused to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
Aliyu, who led a delegation of members of his party on a courtesy call on the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu in Abuja on Wednesday, said he refused to follow his colleagues to the opposition party because of his love for the ruling party.
He said he had respect for the people of the state, who he said asked him to remain.
The governor was a key member of the aggrieved seven governors of the party who went round the country to complain about the leadership of the party under its former National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
Apart from himself, other governors in the group were Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwanso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).
Out of the seven, only Aliyu and Lamido refused to defect to the APC.
Aliyu also insisted at different times that President Goodluck Jonathan signed a one-term agreement with the governors, insisting that the President must honour the alleged agreement.
But on Wednesday, Aliyu said, “I led the protest which came to be known as G7. It was not intended to kill the party and move away.
“I didn’t move away. Many people asked me, you left a group, how come you didn’t move? I tell them that I didn’t move because my conscience, understanding and my position is with the PDP. ”
Also speaking at the national secretariat, a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, said that it was unfortunate that the APC was yet to have membership cards six months after it was formed.
Bafarawa, who was accompanied by a former Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Boni Haruna, also said he didn’t join the PDP because of position.
He said, “I did not join PDP because it is a ruling party, I didn’t join because I want an appointment. I joined to build a support for our country.
“As far as I’m concerned, nobody is a member of the APC in this country. This is because you cannot be a member of any political party without membership card.
“For the last six months that the party was formed up till now, nobody has a membership card.”
He appealed to the leadership of the party to make the registration card of the party available in the country, including Sokoto State.
He said this would let Nigerians know that the party was alive.
According to him, “I want you to take note of this. From tomorrow please issue membership cards for the people across the country so that you will know that PDP is alive.
“We want to provide us with membership cards in sokokto in the next one week so that you will see that the party is alive in the country and the state.”
On the call for the President to be shifted to the north in 2015, Bafarawa said that Nigerians should be allowed to elect their leaders, just as he called on President Goodluck Jonathan to visit his state soon.
Mu’azu told the two men that there would be reforms in the party, just as he asked them to remain loyal.
