PDP: Governors leaving our party because of intimidation from APC government

Kola Ologbondiyan, spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the governors defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been intimidated into doing so.

He said the three governors that recently left the party have issues with the federal government and “are being challenged internally by what they have committed themselves into”.

Ologbondiyan spoke on News Day, an Arise Television programme, on Wednesday.

“They moved to the other side because of the intimidation that is coming from the party in government. If you listen to all the three governors that have left the party, none of them has said that he has a problem with the leadership of the party,” he said.

“Whether Ayade of Cross River, Umahi in Ebonyi, or Matawalle of Zamfara. Even Matawalle claimed that he has always loved to be in the All Progressives Congress. This means he deceived the people when the court gave him the leadership of the state by declaring him the governor of the state.

“So it is not an issue of the party, it is essentially that these governors have issues with the federal government, concerning the management of the resources of the state, so it is not born out of the fact that there is crisis in PDP.

“None of these governors did accuse the party, they left on their own accord because they are being challenged internally by what they have committed themselves into.

“We are sure that those who are leaving the party in the parliament, whether in the states of assembly or in the national assembly, will have a field day with the law and we assure that they will vacate their seats.”

On May 20, Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River, dumped the PDP for the APC, citing the need to support President Muhammadu Buhari in building a greater nation as the reason for joining the ruling party.

Dave Umahi, who had been elected twice as governor of Ebonyi under the umbrella of PDP, attributed his defection to the “injustice” done to the south-east by PDP.

Less than 24 hours ago, Bello Matawalle, governor of Zamfara, alongside three senators, six house of representatives members, and 24 members of the state house of assembly dumped the opposition party for the ruling party.