Ahead next February general election, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is in a fresh move to boost his support base in the South-West.
Barring change in the plan, is expected in Ekiti today where he is to receive members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who are defecting into the main opposition party.
Expected on the entourage of the former vice president to welcome the defecting SDP members are his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa; presidential campaign spokesman, Senator Dino Melaye; Senate Minority Leader, Phillip Aduda and a member of the House of Representatives, Henrich Akomolafe.
Sources revealed that Atiku is working with a group, the Ekiti Progressives, who are in a cold war for leadership of the Ekiti chapter of the party with a two-term governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose.
According to the sources, members of the Ekiti Progressives working for Atiku have been putting pressure on a former Ekiti governor and governorship candidate of the SDP in last June election in the state, Chief Segun Oni, to return to the PDP.
Disenchanted PDP chieftains in Ekiti believe that Oni, who came second in the election, remains an asset to the PDP and should be encouraged to return to its fold.
It will be recalled that Bisi Kolawole, the PDP candidate who was Fayose’s favoured choice, came a distant third in the election.
The governorship candidate of the SDP, Oni however, distanced himself from those defecting to PDP.
He told Nigerian Tribune in a telephone interview that he was not prepared to abandon his legal battle against the election won by Biodun Oyebanji.
He said:” How can I be involved in the move to leave SDP? I have a case in Court which I am pursuing to retrieve mandate.”
He, however, said he was aware of plans by some members of his party to join PDP.
“Yes, I am aware. Quite a number of them who left PDP with me to SDP have told me they are going back. But I have told them to take it easy.”
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