PDP members nursing defection to APC should leave now —Tsauri, ex-National Secretary

A former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretary, Senator Umaru Tsauri, says the main opposition party remains strong despite numerous high profile defections to the ruling party. He spoke with Abuja Bureau Chief LEON USIGBE

Let me ask, sir, it looks like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has woken up in terms of trying to get members together again. Is this as a result of these high profile defections that we’ve seen? 

Are you talking about defections or are you talking about working on the party? I don’t know which one you’re talking about. 

READ ALSO: My govt will support Soludo to actualise his vision for Anambra – Tinubu

You know, the party appears to be coming together. A few days ago, we had this governors’ meeting with former governors and other stakeholders. The Board of trustees (BoT)  is re-energizing itself. All these actions have not been taking place since this entire crisis. Why now?

You see, if we are going to answer this question, we have to go back to memory lane. First of all, you know, our crisis started immediately after the convention that brought Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party. I agree we made a mistake. I agree with that. And I always tell people, yes, we made a mistake. 

What was that mistake? 

The mistake was Atiku is the face of the PDP. That’s the reality. And today in this country, nobody can face to face Tinubu face-to-face like Atiku. After the convention, Atiku forgot that in 2014, during our convention, he was the same person who staged a walkout with five governors,; five governors, and they went and worked against the PDP, and they defeated the PDP. The same Atiku, who is our face now, right? So, history repeated itself, and we couldn’t understand, or we refused to understand. When the crisis was brewing, we sacrificed five governors. In 2014, five governors left the party, and we lost the election. In 2023, five governors left the party and would refuse to do anything. Certainly, that’s the source of our problem. 

At least, one governor has left again.

For that one, I don’t care about their living. In fact, I said, I told anybody, and I’m telling you now, that PDP is solid. All those who are thinking they will give us problem come 2027, please let them leave now. Let the few of us who are really PDP who cannot leave the party even at gunpoint, stay even if we will be 10. By the second quarter of 2026 people who left or who are living, they are living for a purpose or purposes. Some are living thinking that they will make, you know, some kind of money out of the APC. Some are looking for an appointment or job or something. Some are living because of intimidation. I’ll give you an example. Okowa. Okowa, a person who spent 8 years as a governor on the ticket of the PDP and he was given the vice-presidential candidate for the party. He left overnight, and nobody knows why he left. But if you check, you will find that he left because when they tried to get him, he refused to go. They put EFCC to go after him. If they tell you that they are charging all their investigation of 1.3 trillion naira, how much is the budget of the Delta? If at all that is what they say is true, it means since he came on board, there are no salary in the state. 1.3 trillion. Because he’s afraid, likely has no courage, so he’s succumbed. Most of our people, look at all the PDP governors, they are being pursued. You either succumb or EFCC goes after you. That’s the problem.

 But all this by the end of 2026 or the middle of 2026 all those who are thinking they will get something out of the APC, they will not get it, they will know they’re not getting it. Those who are thinking for favors, they will know they are not getting the favors. Those who are thinking that they will be intimidated; they will know that the party will be handicapped. They will be looking for how to win election in 2027. So, they will all come back to PDP. People love PDP in Nigeria. So, I am very confident that before 2027 we will see what is going to happen. There is going to be a massive coming back to PDP. Our problem, you know it, I know it, and it’s our leadership. I believe with the NEC coming on board, that will make or break the PDP. If the PDP is made that day, then it means we’re going ahead. If the PDP is broken that day, then it’s going to be too bad. There’s no democracy in Nigeria, I’m telling you.

So what are the signs you are seeing that the PDP can actually regain itself? 

You see, the issue is, as I told anybody, the problem of the PDP is from outside PDP. That’s the problem. It’s from outside PDP. And Nigerians, you see, we are so much inclined to monetary kind of inducement. If we’re in opposition, you have to agree that you are going to be married to poverty. That’s what our people cannot agree with. So all of these who are living now…let me give you an example. Just last week, three of our members from the state, House of Reps, they left to APC. Three on the platform of the PDP and they left to APC. Now, why they are leaving, why they left for APC, is because they have the feeling that likely by 2027, they may not be able to win election in their constituencies. So what they did now is they left for the APC, thinking that APC is going to rig election for them come 2027. But mind you, they should remember that in that constituency, they contested against APC members. And likely those members who contested against them are there are waiting, looking for that seat. Is APC a fool to give them ticket and leave those whom they defeated in 2023? So that’s the miscalculation, political miscalculation that they have done. 

So for me, I just look at it as political miscalculation and everybody can do it, just as I told you, we made after the after the convention. For just one single person, we allowed five governors to leave. You cannot, if you’re a good politician, you cannot leave a governor to leave your party. We had this experience when I was National Secretary here when this guy came from Edo, Godwin Obasaki came to us. It was just 19 days for us to have our Congresses. 19 days. He left his party because he was kicked out. He came back to us. And when he came back to us, people said, “No, we should not allow him to come.” I was National Secretary here and I said, “Look, you cannot be foolish like Oshiomhole to kick out a state governor.” A sitting governor. This guy has the power, he has the money and has influence. If you say you are not accepting him, you are going to be like Oshiomhole. This is a governor. The other people who are contesting for election are looking for governorship. He is already a governor. How do you come out and start looking? That’s what Hausa are saying.” You release the one that is in your hand and run in pursuit of another.” What are you talking about? So what our people are doing if they are living because they are afraid, because they think they will get something, but they will not be able to get it. I said it. And I still repeat it. One thing why people are rushing into APC is because they want to hold their positions, they feel APC will not lose the election. Why? It is because there is no intention for election. 

Why do you think so? 

It is normal, you know. As long as these three organs have not changed their pattern, then there is not going to be election in Nigeria. One, security agencies, all of them. Two, election umpire, INEC. Three, judiciary. If these cannot follow the constitution to be patriotic, to work for Nigeria, not for individual, the president of the presidency, then, there’s no need going to election. Allow the judiciary to choose a leader for us. Why? Because during elections, the security agencies, they’re compromised. And they will teach you a very bitter experience during the election. APC will lose election everywhere. But the electoral act says there cannot be announcement of results twice. Are you getting what I’m saying? The moment it’s announced, that’s all. If you have any problem, then you go to court. When you go to court, what are you looking for? So the security agencies will assist the ruling party to write results. The INEC will announce the results. The court will confirm the results. Then why do we have to go into the election? Waste our money, waste our resources, waste our energy, waste our psyche, waste our intelligence? And all this. And in the long run, one person will sit at the bench and tell you this is the person who won the election. 

So, what is the solution? 

The solution is for the security agents, the INEC, and the judiciary to fear God, to know that we are going to die. If we die, there’s going to be resurrection. After resurrection, there’s going to be judgment and everybody will account for what he did.