By Aiyeku Timothy
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has initiated moves to woo governors and lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to its fold.
It was gathered the national leadership of the party has appointed a six-member National Reconciliation Committee to take up this task which is in reaction to the defection of Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State to the APC as there is a need to save the party.
The committee, which is headed by a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, also includes former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; former Governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe); and former Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Mulikat Akande.
It would be recalled that the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbodiyan, had in a tweet via the official Twitter account of the PDP, on Monday evening, announced the composition of the Saraki-led committee.
However, sources in the PDP revealed that the major assignment of the committee is to bring in new members, including governors and lawmakers.
One of the sources, who is a member of the National Working Committee of the party revealed that some members of the ruling party had contacted the PDP for possible defection.
According to him, the APC are aware of this and that motivated their move in ensuring Umahi’s delectation from the PDP to send a signal that the former ruling party was no longer attractive.
The source said, “We knew their game. They knew that their members, including governors, members of the National Assembly and lawmakers at the state level, were contemplating joining us. That’s why they rushed to Umahi, asking him to defect quickly.
“They promised him that they would hand over the state (APC) chapter. That was why the party quickly dissolved the Ebonyi State chapter and picked a serving commissioner as acting chairman.”
However, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, has stated that the assignments handed over to the Saraki-led committee are “multi-dimensional.
“I want to tell you that we have large numbers of lawmakers, both at the national and state levels, who are willing to join us. Also, some governors are already talking to us. We just don’t like making noise about what we are doing. I wonder how this information also got to you. But in any case, we are not sleeping.
“If we had won elections in states such as Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Edo, Oyo, Sokoto and Zamfara from the opposition without making a noise, I can assure you that we are going to do more positive things that will surprise many.”
