Over 50,000 members of different political parties in Nasarawa State have crossed over to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),according to an official statement on Sunday. The decampees were from the ruling Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Labour Party (LP).
The National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur received the decampees at an elaborate ceremony in Lafia the Nasarawa State Capital.
All the decampees were members of the PDP at a point in time but defected to other parties to pursue their political ambitions.
Prominent among them were Prof. Onje Gyewado, a former Deputy Governor of the state who was the gubernatorial candidate of ACN in the 2011 elections, Mr. Nawani Aboki, gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party in 2011 and Mallam Iliya Dikko who led the decampees from CPC including a former Adviser of Governor Tanko Al-Makura, Hon. Adamu Sule Liman.
In his remarks, the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur promised to promote reconciliation of all aggrieved members of the party in order to have a united front that would confront the 2015 elections and retain the leadership of the country and equally capture states under the opposition parties.
He said “PDP under my watch, we believe in reconciliation, we believe in reformation of our attitude. We believe in PDP based on equity and justice, no imposition”.
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur welcomed the returnees and assured them that PDP is their home where they will enjoy equal opportunities.
In his address, Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku who lamented the spate of violence and crisis in the state since 2011, urged the people to support the PDP to return Nasarawa State to the path of peace, sustainable economic growth and development.
“Since PDP left in 2011, Nasarawa State has not witnessed anything other than violence and crisis. Your Excellency, since PDP left in 2011, Nasarawa State has only harvested violence and crisis. Therefore the only way that Nasarawa State can return to the path of development is to ensure that between now and 2015, PDP will return to power in Nasarawa State by the grace of God”, he proclaimed.
He noted that since the return of democracy in 1999, Nasarawa State remained the hub of the PDP in view of the laudable development projects executed by the party to promote the economic and social well-being of the people.
One of the decampees, Prof. Onje Gyewado said they returned to the PDP to reclaim power from the CPC and promote development of the state.
Also speaking, Mr. Nawani Aboki said all the structures of the Labour Party in Nasarawa State have been collpsed in the PDP to fortify the party to capture power and return peace and development to the state.
Former Governor of the state Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma, who made his first appearance in the political scene since he left power, said PDP was robbed of victory in 2011 and called on all aggrieved members to return to the party and form a formidable platform that would recapture power from CPC in 2015. Chieftains of the PDP in the state and at the national level delivered goodwill messages on the occasion.
