Niger east by-election: APC crisis deepens, chieftains to defect to PDP

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna

The deputy chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Barrister Tanko Beji has intimated that crisis of irreconcilable difference and scramble for funds among top officials of the Niger stte All Progressives Congress (APC) has forced some to conclude on decamping to the PDP.

The PDP deputy chairman in a signed press statement issued yesterday in Minna, said already some of the APC chieftains in the state had started discussing with the ruling party adding that the move is aimed at saving what is left of their political future.

Responding to the allegations the APC publicity secretary in the state Mr Jonathan Vatsa said however that Beji was being mischievous and should mention names of those APC members who wanted to decamp to the PDP.

According to Beji most members of the APC have no genuine interest in making the party have any meaningful electoral value adding that there is no hope the party will win next Saturday’s senatorial by-election or any elective position in the 2015 general election.

Also speaking to our reporter on phone, Vatsa stated that “APC is not a secret cult but open to all and scrambling for money is the trade mark of the ruling PDP who are more of commercial politicians in their mixed as they wallop in tax payers money” he alleged.

Beji added that those who have made contacts to decamp expressed dismay over the political approach of their party members adding that most of them are self serving and have lost any iota of political relevance to give the party political goodwill in the state.

“We have been contacted by some chieftains of the Niger state APC of plans to decamp to PDP and we are already making arrangements to welcome them to the fold.”

“We are indeed happy that some people in the Niger APC have scruples and are ready to leave a party formed by people nursing political vendetta, a party without structure or developmental roadmap for the state. We wait for them with open hands.”

He expressed confidence that soon the Niger state APC will crumble like a pack of cards adding that next Saturday is a make or mar contest for the opposition. He said most of the party members are dissatisfied with the level of preparation.

Beji therefore called on the electorates to be guided adding that the APC cannot organize itself and has failed to manage corruption even at party level.