Hurricane Tinubu: Delta, Akwa Ibom defend APC defections amid fresh attacks

Governors of Delta and Akwa Ibom State, Sheriff Oborevwori and Umo Eno, respectively, on Tuesday, defended their decisions to quit the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.

The defence followed an attack by a member of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Kola Ologbondiyan, that governors elected on the platform of the party were being forced to join the ruling APC.

Ologbondiyan, who served as the PDP National Publicity Secretary, made the claim when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

He stated this against the backdrop of insinuations that suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, may follow the steps of his Delta and Akwa Ibom counterparts in swapping PDP for the ruling APC.

“Talking about the Rivers situation, I will be honest and I think that the PDP did all it could, some on a negative side, others on a positive side.

“I think the takeaway for the Peoples Democratic Party in this matter is that its governors are being harassed.

“They are being humiliated, and whether they can openly say it or not, they are being forced to abandon their party and join the All Progressives Congress, which is President Bola Tinubu’s political party,” he said.

A PDP chieftain in Akwa Ibom State, Tom Fredfish, claimed that the governors defected out of greed for power and control.

Fredfish, who spoke with one of our correspondents in Uyo, said, “I don’t believe that anyone can force anyone out of his wish. Those who defected were governors who defected out of greed and the quest to struggle for political power.

“They defected to keep their political capital and because of that, they decided to move a structure that was given to them free to another party that they believed was secure to guarantee their re-election.

“They are not democrats, they only pretended to be democrats. They feared that they were going to be frustrated, and for them to be re-elected, they had to join the train.”

Reacting, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, urged Ologbondiyan to present proof to back his claims.

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, Ibrahim said those defecting to the APC were doing so of their free will, motivated by the accomplishments of President Tinubu.

He said, “For him (Ologbondiyan) to say that, I think he’s insulting the confidence, the sensibility of the party. He is insulting the ideological beliefs of these people, the governors.

“For him to say they were coerced, they were forced, it means he does not believe they have the liberty to decide, they have the courage to seek a better platform if they feel that their own platform is not providing them what they need.

“That is an insult to their personalities. For someone who has been elected by his people, someone who has risen to the position of a governor, you describe him as a coward

“I think it is an insult. But that is for them—the governors to defend themselves. If he has any proof of anyone who was coerced, please, he should not hesitate to provide that proof. In the absence of that proof, I think he is just a transporter, a marketer of speculation, which is an antidote to democracy.

“They (PDP governors) are moving into APC because they know and they have seen what the APC-led Federal Government is doing. Never in the history of their governorship have they received so much money as they are receiving now because of the changes that were made.”

Defending his decision, Oborevwori said he was not forced to join the APC but left the PDP because Delta was tired of being in opposition.

The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Festus Ahon, stated this in an interview with The PUNCH in Asaba.

He said, “Nobody forced anyone to join APC. We joined APC on our own for the interest of Deltans and to bring development to the state.

“How can anybody in the right sense say that governors were forced to join the APC? It’s not possible.

“We cannot continue to be in opposition for too long. Delta has been in the opposition since 2015. So, we decided to join APC to key into the government at the centre.”

An APC chieftain and former Military Administrator of Ogun and Rivers states, Group Capt Sam Ewang (retd.), faulted the claim that the PDP governors were forced to switch camp.

“I want to believe that it’s the circumstances and the workings of PDP that are forcing them to defect.

“That is the circumstance and needs of the people, because like here in Akwa Ibom State, Gov Umo Eno consulted very widely and everybody told him to leave to avoid disappointment from PDP and himself,” he said.

Adeleke stays- Osun PDP spokesman

Speaking with The PUNCH, the spokesperson for Osun PDP, Oladele Bamiji, said Governor Ademola Adeleke had not informed his supporters he would defect to either APC or any other political party.

Bamiji also said the current crisis over the control of local government areas in the state may have been orchestrated to force Adeleke into the APC.

“First of all, we have to understand that the governor was elected on the platform of the party, and the people of Osun State invested their hope and trust in the governor through the platform of the PDP, and he has consistently said he is not leaving the PDP for APC.

“Maybe what people are misplacing for making a move is his support for President Bola Tinubu to succeed. But concerning joining APC, I’m not aware of that; the governor has never informed any of us who are his aides that he is joining the APC.

“Like our present situation in the state, the orchestrated crisis in our local governments might be another ploy by the APC to force the governor’s hand into their party.

“But His Excellency is a man of conscience and he is ready to serve the people of the state under the platform of the party on which he won the election,” he said.

Mutfwang denies defection

Similarly, top government officials in Plateau State have dismissed claims by APC National Vice Chairman, Ijeoma Arodiogbu, that Governor Caleb Mutfwang is set to defect to the ruling party.

Speaking with The PUNCH in Jos on Monday, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Samuel Jatau, said “The APC National Vice Chairman is not the spokesman of the governor and therefore cannot speak on whether he is defecting or not. It is not for him to say.”

Also in his reaction, the Special Adviser to Governor Mutfwang on Strategic Communication, Timothy Golu, dismissed Arodiogbu’s claim.

“Our Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has said several times that he is going nowhere but will remain in the PDP. If anything has changed, I believe the governor will not hesitate to inform his people,” he said.

Diri will clarify rumours- Aide

As Bayelsans await the outcome of speculation that their governor, Douye Diri, to make an imminent defection to the ruling APC, an aide to the governor has made light of it.

The unnamed aide who spoke with The PUNCH said, “You guys should just wait. The governor will speak at the right time. But right now, he is in Abuja for the PDP NEC meeting and that tells you a lot.

“Diri is the chairman of the PDP Convention Zoning Committee. He is also the chairman of the PDP South-South Governors Forum. I don’t think that if he wants to move to the APC, he will be attending the party’s function.”

He recalled how the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, started staying away from PDP activities following speculations about his intended defection to the APC.

The aide who put the record straight explained that contrary to the story out there, it was not Diri who wanted to defect, but he was being wooed to join the APC.

He, however, assured that Diri would make his position known in the coming weeks.

PUNCH.