By Musa Baba Adamu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi State has assured its members that the party remained one and indivisible entity.
This followed a report that prominent party members may defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The state party Chairman, Usman Bello-Suru, gave the assurance while briefing journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.
He said, “In a swift reaction to the insinuations that some members of the PDP in the state are making arrangements to defect to the ruling party, I assure our members that PDP remains one indivisible entity that will continue to play an opposition role in the state. PDP is reacting to the ongoing meetings by some individuals with the intent to mobilise party members for their selfish interests. This will not affect the strength of the party in all the 21 local government areas of the state.”
The Chairman, therefore, called on party supporters to remain calm and focused, saying that the state leadership was on top of the situation and would update its members in due course.
Reliable sources indicated that it was just a matter of time for the formal declaration of Adamu Aliero (PDP-Kebbi Central) to defect to the ruling APC.
Indications emerged when hundreds of Mr Aliero’s supporters, led by his younger brother, Abba Aliero, held a consultative meeting with Governor Nasir Idris at Government House, Birnin Kebbi, Wednesday.
Afterwards, Abba Alieru told journalists that they were invited for a tête-à-tête, and the public would be informed of whatever decision was reached later.
“We, the supporters of Mr Aliero, were summoned to friendly discussions with His Excellency, the governor, which we obliged. We sought time to return to our constituencies for further consultations with grass-roots supporters upon which we shall decide the best course of action,” Mr Aliero said.
Although Mr Aliero did not attend the meeting, his close associates participated in the discussions, including the PDP deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 elections, Sama’ila Bui.
Others were a former Commissioner for Education, Muhammadu Magawata-Aliero and a former chairman of the Dandi Local Government Council, Abubakar Salihu Dila-Kamba.
Political pundits observed that Mr Idris has become the ‘father of political unity’ of Kebbi, while Mr Aliero remains the ‘master card’ of politics in the state.
At a public event recently in Birnin Kebbi, Mr Aliero told the gathering that politics was now over, showering encomiums on Mr Idris for his remarkable performance in governance and rapid development of Kebbi within a short space of time.
In the 2023 senatorial elections, Mr Aliero contested on the platform of the PDP and defeated the then-incumbent Governor Atiku Bagudu of the APC.
Prior to the polls, Mr Aliero defected from the ruling APC at both state and national levels to the PDP to contest the Kebbi Central Senatorial District ticket, which he won.
