By Olamilekan FAWAS
Senate President Bukola Saraki and Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, on Tuesday took the long awaited decision to switch from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after weeks of speculations and expectations.
“I wish to inform Nigerians that after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” Saraki said on his Twitter feed. He did not indicate his political destination but it was clear he was heading to the Peoples Democratic Party.
The defection of the Governor was contained in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA), Media and Communication, Dr Muyideen Akorede in Ilorin on Tuesday.
It was timed to coincide with a similar declaration by his mentor, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
“Following due consultations with the people and in response to calls by major stakeholder groups in the state, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed today defected to the People’s Democratic Party(PDP),” the statement said.
According to the statement, Gov Ahmed declared that APC can no longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and expectations of his people.
It would be recalled that the Governor held a meeting with APC stakeholders last week Thursday where the people prevailed on him to lead them to the PDP.
Ahmed is the second APC governor to join the PDP, following Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State. Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is expected to join them.
Abdulfattah Ahmed, Governor of Kwara and Saraki’s protege also declared his exit from the APC, simultaneously, with his boss.
Saraki’s exit from the party was an anti-climax as he had openly romanced with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of which he was a member until 2014.
The resignation also came amidst expectations that the APC would formally expel him and House of Representatives Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, from the party.
Both senior members of the ruling party had been accused of disloyalty and anti-party activities, the latest of which was the joint statement issued by the duo accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of masterminding the political crisis in Benue state.
On Monday, the National Working Committee of the APC stripped Saraki and Governor Ahmed of the control of the party’s structure in the state, by dissolving the executives from the ward to the state level, an indication that the party was finished with them.
The party appointed a caretaker committee to take control of the party affairs. The party hinged its action on the party’s constitution.
Saraki’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sanni Onogu, who responded to a telephone on the development, said “if you see it on his Twitter handle you should believe it.
“When the man has tweeted from his handle, what do I need to confirm again.”
