PDP’ll not miss ‘rebel’ govs —TUKUR

ABUJA— NATIONAL chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, said, yesterday, that the party will not miss the five governors and other members of the party who defected last Tuesday to the opposition, All Progressives Congress, APC.

According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan will be in Aso Villa in 2015. Tukur also said that the action would be their greatest political regret.

It will be recalled that five out of the G7 Governors in the defunct splinter group of the Alhaji Baraje-led PDP, governors Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto state; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano; Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers; Ahmed Abdulfatah of Kwara State and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, dumped the PDP, for APC, even as Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Sule Lamido of Jigawa remained in the PDP.

Speaking yesterday, at the PDP national secretariat when Sokoto State chapter of the party paid him and members of the PDP National Working Committee, NWC, a courtesy call, Tukur advised party members not to entertain any fear in the 2015 presidential election.

Tukur said that the opposition party where the governors and their supporters moved to was not a bed of roses.
Tukur said: “ I assure you that there is no need to entertain any fears. President Goodluck Jonathan will still be in Aso Rock come 2015. We know that Sokoto State is behind you. When the Caliphate is behind you, there is no shaking. PDP is our party, a party of choice.

“People can defect. It is their right, but very soon they will find out that it is not all bed of roses.They will soon come to embrace of PDP again.

“Sometimes when people had eaten and are satisfied, you know what they do? They will tell themselves, let’s try another place to see whether there is a better option.

“We have experienced it before, it is not new. Many of them left PDP before, but my advice is that people should not forget that no matter what they do, if they want to sit and learn, they should sit on their bottom.

“Our party is inclusive, and I can reassure you that you have earned our respect and we will accord everyone of same.”

Speaking earlier, the leader of the Sokoto State PDP delegation, a former Minister of Communications, Alhaji Arzika Tambuwal urged the NWC members to “immediately constitute a caretaker committee to organise congresses for the election of new party executives at all levels in Sokoto State.”