No plan for merger, formation of new party, says PDP BoT chairman

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustee (BoT) Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, has said that members and other stakeholders are not ready to form any new political party, dispelling speculations of an understanding for a merger with a new political party ahead of 2019 general elections.

Jibrin said yesterday that the attention of the PDP BoT has been drawn to series of publications alleging that PDP has adopted a particular political party just newly registered as its fall back position.

The clarification came on the heels of the crisis that engulfed the party and split it into two factions of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s Caretaker Committee and that of Senator Modu Sherrif.

In a statement, Jibrin said that “ I want to make it very clear that PDP has never formed any alternative party, if it has to agree on something like that all organs and forums of the party, the BoT, National caucus, PDP governors forum, National Assembly caucus , states PDP chairmen forum, former ministers forum, former governors forum, various youth forums, elders forum nationwide, women’s forums and others will be fully consulted before such a very sensitive decision is taken.”

Expressing hope that the Judiciary would resolve the dispute within the
PDP leadership, he explained that “ for now I want to assure our teeming supporters that PDP accepts the judicial processes going on at the Supreme Court and that we are very confident that the court shall freely
and independently take fair decision which will be historic in Nigeria’s democracy.”

Meanwhile, the Senator representing Cross River Central Senatorial District in Senate, John Owan Enoh yesterday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), thus further reducing the number of PDP caucus in the upper legislative chamber.

With Enoh’s defection, the number of PDP senators has been reduced to 41 while that of the APC has jumped to 67, including the membership of a Labour Party senator, Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta Central) who also cross-carpeted to the ruling party in March this year.