The Lagos
State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Mr. Moshood Salvador, has
dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, warning that his exit marks
the end of PDP in the state.
Another
chieftain of PDP in the state, Bode George, however said Salvador was an adult
and that he was competent enough to make decisions for himself.
The News
Agency of Nigeria reports that Salvador announced his defection on Monday while
addressing his supporters in Lagos.
He said he
took the decision because all his efforts to move the PDP in the state forward
had been frustrated by some elements in the party.
Salvador
alleged that a former deputy national of the party, Bode George, had done
everything possible to undermine the progress of the party in the state.
He said he
could no longer labour in vain, adding that the national leadership of the
party had done nothing to support or appreciate his efforts as PDP chairman.
“When you
have people or leadership that cannot give you encouragement to carry out your
vision, you take it to another place where it will be appreciated.
“I am not
happy that I am abandoning what I laboured for, but I have to move on with my
supporters because I cannot continue to labour in vain.
“Today, the
chairman of PDP Board of Trustees called me on the defection and I told him to
allow me consult with my people before feedback.
“The PDP
National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, also called me for the first time
since my travails.
“He never
called since I was put in jail on a cooked-up murder charge; he called me today
to ask why I wanted to defect.
“And I told
him it is not possible for me to be in the same party with Bode George because
he undermined all my efforts to re-position the party.
“He was
doing all these things and the national leadership was allowing him, saying he
is an elder.
“He also
cooked up things to put me in jail in the murder case of late Aborishade.
“Enough is
enough. I am leaving the party with my supporters and I am taking them to APC
where they would be recognised and appreciated,” Salvador said.
The
politician said he had since handed over the PDP structure to his deputy who
would continue the affairs of the party.
He said his
exit meant that the PDP was dead in Lagos, as he was moving with about 15,000
supporters, including party executive members at council and ward levels.
Salvador
insisted that he was innocent in the murder case of Aborishade, saying all the
things said about his involvement were all lies.
He said he
would stage a “show of strength” rally on Monday to show his former party that
he was going to the APC with thousands of his followers.
Hours before
Salvador announced his defection, Bode George said Salvador had the right to leave
the party if he wished to.
George made
the statement in Lagos while inaugurating a trust fund for the family of the
late Adeniyi Aborishade, a PDP chieftain killed at a meeting of the party in
Eti-Osa on July 21.
George was
reacting to media reports that Salvador and some others had concluded plans to
defect to the APC.
George said
Salvador could not be stopped from leaving as he is an adult and competent
enough to make decisions for himself.
He, however,
questioned why the erstwhile PDP chairman wanted to leave the party now,
especially as Aborishade’s murder case, to which he was earlier linked, had not
been resolved.
“You see,
whether he is going to APC or wherever, we cannot stop him; he is an adult, not
a young man. So, he can decide for himself. But we have a question to ask: Why
now?
“I am a
deep-rooted politician and as a master mariner, I know you do not jump ship when
you are in a stormy weather.
“Or do you
swim against the tide? No, you will drown. Now, who is drawing Salvador to come
to APC? To get cover or what? No, that will not stop justice for Aborishade,”
he said.
On
allegations that he was responsible for the friction in the party, George said
it was wrong for Salvador to have made the allegations.
He said the
PDP Chairman was actually the one running the party like his private estate,
causing rancour and unnecessary wrangling in the party..
George said
Salvador failed to honour agreements reached on executive offices after the
Supreme Court verdict affirming Senator Ahmed Makarfi as National Chairman.
He said then
that the party had agreed that 65 per cent of the offices should go to Makarfi’s
followers in the state, while 35 per cent should be given to followers of ousted
Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff.
“Rather than
follow the agreement, he was imposing people as party executives, taking
decisions that did not go down with members. He was running the party as if it
was his personal estate,” George said.
George said
PDP was based on strong democratic foundations and that impunity and
indiscipline could not be allowed to reign in the party.
He condemned
the violence in which Aborishade was killed, saying the party was saddened by
the incident.
George said
the party was not satisfied with the handling of the case by the Police in
Lagos and called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to set up a
special panel to probe the incident.
He said the
party would not accept anything other than justice for the slain chieftain and
that the party would continue to pursue the case.
George said
he was launching the trust fund to raise money for the deceased’s family to
support them.
He urged
party members to contribute to the fund to identify with the family at this
trying period.
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