*Insists Buhari not wrong in hosting party’s NEC in FEDEXCO Chambers
*Says Tinubu not undermined by Oshiomhole’s sack
By Myke Uzendu and Daniel Tyokua
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has claimed that 10 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) extraction have expressed desires to defect to the troubled All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor equally dismissed insinuations that the hosting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling APC in the Council Chambers of the State House, did not contravene any law, describing last APC’s NEC as a national assignment.
Speaking Friday evening on Channels Television evening political programme, Bello claimed that the PDP governors were already at the conclusion of their defection plans with the APC.
Recall that apart from an amalgamation of three defunct political parties that coaleased to forming the APC, state governors of the PDP extraction led by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who was then the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and firmer acting National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, all defected to the APC just few weeks before the 2015 general elections.
The defection, seen by analysts as expression of hatred and political back-stabing of then President Goodluck Jonathan, cost him a re-election at the Presidential Election.
Gov. Bello at the interview stated unequivocally of a planned repeat of the 2015 defection gale at the PDP.
He however, did not provide any clue or buttress how the claimed defection would take place, neither did he explain why the APC held only six NEC meetings since May, 2015 and why such meetings are usually held only when the party is at the brink of disintegrating.
Bello equally dismissed insinuations that the decisions of the APC-NEC were against the political and other interests of the APC’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In stoutly defending the hosting of the ruling paety’s NEC meeting inside the Presidential Chamber, he said that President Muhammadu Buhari was open to equally hosting PDP members to a meeting inside the Council Chambers.
According to him: “The President doesn’t work alone. The President seeks every advice, including legal advice before he acts.
“He does not act illegally. He does not take any action that is contrary to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“What happened (at the Chamber) was a national assignment, and it behooves on The President to ensure that every section of the country is carried along”.
Affirming that the APC was stronger despite the defection of Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to the PDP and the circumstances that led to the removal of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman, he said although Obaseki left the APC, the ruling party was not in any distress.
“It is unfortunate that my colleague, my brother and my in-law has left us, but as a loyal party man, we have to retain (accept) it.
“I can tell you that there are up to 10 PDP governors wanting to join the APC and that is going to happen very soon.”
On Tinubu being undermined by the sack of the Oshiomhole-led NWC, he said that the AOC National Leader and former Governor of Lagos State remains one of the most respected political leaders, who has earned immense respect in the APC.
“Nobody can say that he is being undermined. He plays a fatherly role. He needs us and we need him. He remains relevant,” Bello stressed.
