Niger: PDP Flock Depletes As APC Smiles

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By; BALA B. BITRUS, Minna

These days are not the best for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State as it’s ranks suffers exodus of high profile members.
In January this year, a large number of disgruntled members in Kontagora in the northern senatorial flank of the state pulled out of the party in droves.
Those who left the party had alleged growing discontentment, crises and loss of values within the PDP.
The woes of the party appear unending. At the beginning of the week, a stalwart of the party and former Chief of Staff to erstwhile Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, Joshua Bawa also threw in his towel and publicly announced his resignation from the People’s Democratic Party.
Joshua Bawa cited no reason for his departure from the PDP just as he didn’t say where he was pitching his new political tent.
Two days afterwards, the Minority Leader in the Niger State House of Assembly, Shuaibu Liman Iyah announced at plenary that he had shaded off his political colours from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Hon. Liman Iya was one of the only two members of the Assembly who were members of the opposition PDP.
And as if that was not enough, the PDP yet suffered it’s worst stab on the back on Thursday afternoon with a gale of yet another resignation.
Deputy Chairman of the party in the state, Aminu Yusuf Wushishi hit the camp of the PDP with his announcement of leaving the party to set the stage for the worst period of the party in the state in recent times.
But the party quickly issued a press statement on Friday afternoon saying Aminu Yusuf was suspended from the party following his alleged culpability in series of anti party activities.
The statement circulated amongst media houses said prior to his suspension, the party Secretary was first subjected to the party’s disciplinary committee which probed his activities which were not in tenderm with the constitution of the party.
The statement said since no individual was above the party, the provisions of the party’s constitution were applied on the party secretary hence the suspension.
But Aminu Yusuf’s action in announcing his resignation the previous day had set the party to respond in reaction to his resignation which further comfirmed  that all is not well within the flock of the PDP.
The resignation of Joshua Bawa, Hon. Shuaibu liman Iyah and Aminu Yusuf within four days is certainly a hard knock against the party and a bad development within the PDP family in the state.
Last January, the party had wrecked in over a thousand members of the governing All Progressive Congress in Agaie area of the state. The decampees were received by the leadership of the party during a crowd pulling rally where the former governor of the state, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu amongst other chieftains of the party were in attendance.
Comments by the erstwhile governor that the governing All Progressives Congress in the state nay the country at large was in a disarray and that APC had woefully failed to manage it’s electoral victory provoked rabid reactions from members of the APC.
Babangida’s comments rattled the ranks within the governing party and for weeks the PDP’s rally at Agaie remained topical in public discourse.
The sudden turn of events against the PDP in the state with the lost of it’s key players would no doubt dampen the spirit of the opposition rank.

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