Mu’azu, Yuguda, others defection will not affect PDP chances in 2019 ― Bala Muhammad

Camping Council of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the forthcoming general elections in Bauchi State, Senator Bala Muhammad Abdulkadir has reiterated  that the recent defection of the former National Chairman of PDP Ahmadu Muazu, immediate former Governor Isa Yuguda and others to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) will not in any way negatively affect the fortune of the party in the next general elections but rather boost its chances .

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He explained that Adamu Mu’azu who was a former Bauchi State Governor and later the National Chairman of the party since after the 2015 general elections which the PDP lost resigned from the party as its National Chairman saying, “he dumped the party and left the country, even during the flagging off campaign of the APC he wasn’t there, we are waiting until we hear from his mouth”.

He added that, “Isa Yuguda has left the PDP since after the last general elections when he announced that he has  dumped the PDP and  later he contested and lost the recent Bauchi South Senatorial  by-election seat under the platform of a different political party which he belonged to but not the PDP because since he left PDP he did not return until today”,    

“As for the  former Secretary to the Federal Government, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed he was not a PDP card carrying  member, the last time he was in touch with the PDP was in 2015 when he contested primary election and since then we did not see him in any PDP activities or function again,  he too was absent when they mentioned his name”, Maigari Khanna added. 

The Campaign Council Spokesman however said that the only two people that may likely come close to the PDP among the 18 decampees are two former Deputy Governors of Bauchi State, Abdulmalik Mahmud and Babayo Garba  Gamawa who was the Deputy National Chairman (North), but you would remember that the PDP National headquarters had suspended him from the party for alleged anti-party activities  and for not participating in any PDP activities for the last six months even if they called him, therefore, for  the last six month he was not in the PDP fold, but for Abdulmalik Mahmoud he was a member since he does not hold any office maybe we can say he is the only one that left the PDP but the remaining ceased to be PDP members long ago”.

He said that when people of Bauchi State critically observed that many among the 18 people whose names were read as people who decamped from the PDP to the APC are prominent politicians, they know the value of people to be received by the President yet they were absent and even while announcing their names, they decamped alone without their supporters, its questionable, we expect to see people like Isa Yuguda joined the  APC with thousands or hundreds of their supporters but they decamped alone”

The Spokesman of the Governorship candidate also said that their defection didn’t shake the PDP campaign council and its Governorship candidate declaring that,  “remember that Bauchi people love the PDP and the party has the capacity to handle the likely challenges that may confront it as a result of the defection of new members outside the party but we thank God these people are not from PDP”.

He then urged the electorates to get their Permanent Voters Cards and to be ready to protect their votes during the forthcoming election and to vote for all the  PDP candidates.