Rumors are beginning to swirl that allies of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State within the Nigeria Governors’ Forum which he heads who are members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party are threatening to leave the party en masse.
Reliable party sources told this correspondent that some governors informed the party of their disaffection with the way the president and his men are deploying strong-arm tactics to take hold of the party and its machinery. They also warned the party of the implication of their planned defection.
The Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, had in an interview with Channels Television during which he defended the formation of the PDP Governors’ Forum, described the NGF as “a trade union”.
“What we believe is that the leadership of Amaechi in the forum has gone contrary to what PDP expects a PDP governor to do.
“The Nigeria Governors’ Forum has constituted itself into a trade union, some elder statesmen have come out to explain things in that perspective,” he had said.
Another source was particularly angered by President Jonathan’s actions to reduce the powers of Amaechi, which included the formation of the PDP Governors’ Forum headed by Godswill Akpabio.
The governors declined being named for fear of victimization, especially taking Gulak’s statement and Akpabio’s threat into consideration.
Akpabio had promised that ‘Judases’ within the party will be probed.
One of the governors said he and his colleagues won’t wait to be humiliated.
He said, “We have made our feelings known to the party hierachy, including the President. We have been communicating with them; we’ve made it clear we are not happy with the utterances of some of our leaders.
“For example, the statement of our colleague, Akpabio, the PDP Governors Forum chairman, where he likened us to Judases. Such utterances do not and cannot unite the party. If our isolation continues, we may be forced to leave the party and join other progressives.”
A close aide to a Northern governor who also asked not to be named, said recent developments were indication of the party’s return to the garrison area.
He said, “We are seeing an unhealthy trend, which is the return of the party to when it was run like a garrison command, or like the private estate of an individual.
“The sacking of some National Working Committee members opposed to the President and the emergence of Chief Tony Anenih as the chairman of the Board of Trustees clearly signals that the President is trying to have his way in all matters.
“The President’s men have taken over the NWC and the BoT. Now, they have infiltrated the Governors’ Forum by dividing it. Now they are making moves to take over every organ of the party. The governors feel alienated.
“I can assure you that you will soon see mass defections by the governors as they seek their political fortunes elsewhere. The governors, including my boss, have said that they will not definitely not sit and wait to be humiliated.”
He explained that a number of PDP governors who were in talks with APC were doing so secretly for ‘obvious reasons’.
Upon being pressed to explain, he replied, “Isn’t it obvious? It will be suicidal to come out in the open now with the elections being two years away and security agencies placed on the alert. No wise politician will take the risk. The picture will become clearer very soon.”
Meanwhile, a leading member of the Congress for Progressive Change, one of the parties in the APC, Mr Osita Okechukwu has said that the APC would welcome the aggrieved PDP governors should they finally decide to defect.
He said, “We cannot count how many big fishes we will capture from the PDP now. A lot of PDP members are disillusioned and are waiting in the wings to join the progressives’ train.
“Secondly, some want to collect their severance packages before leaving that sinking ship and joining us. So, one hopes that we are on a good voyage together.”
Okechukwu remarked that the PDP Governors’ Forum was not his worry, but rather whether free and fair elections would be organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“Don’t forget that the PDP Governors’ Forum is a panic reaction to the Progressive Governors’ Forum. We have nothing to worry about. Our governors will take care of their colleagues in the torn umbrella.
“Was it not the Progressive Governors’ Forum that defeated Akpabio in the penultimate fight for the soul of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum? So, the battle is just beginning and as the saying goes, ‘no one should count their chickens before they hatch'”
However, National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur waved off talk that due to the ongoing restructuring in the party, members would be lost.
He expressed confidence that all the governors elected on the party platform were committed to its ideals, which in his opinion, were second to none.
Tukur, speaking with this correspondent on Thursday, said there was no reason for any governor to consider leaving the party for the APC.
He said, “Nobody among our governors will consider deflecting to the APC. They don’t have headache as only those with headache will go to the APC.
“I can assure you that none of our governors will leave the PDP, a national party for a regional party.
“Is there anyone who will leave a stable party with a national structure for one without any visible structure? There is no governor that will leave a stable and national party as the PDP is for the APC.”