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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi state Governor Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu who is also Chairman of Progressives Governor’s Forum(PGF) has said that his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) is not afraid or worried about the defections of Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero and Senate Leader, Dr Abdullahi Yahaya to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Bagudu, who appealed to the defectors to eschew politics of bitterness, said that, as the leaders, they should always be guided by oath of office they took, and telling their supporters what would always bring peace and peaceful co-existence in the state and Nigeria.
The Governor stated this while speaking with newsmen as part of the government’s activities to celebrate June 12, 2022 democracy day in Kebbi state.
Reacting to Aliero’s defection and chances of APC to retain the state, Bagudu said: “Again, regrettably, that is life, we don’t want anybody to leave the party. I don’t want anybody to leave. In fact, when I was elected in 2015, the first step we took was that, we would not removed anybody from government on the account of his or her political affiliations.
” A lot of my party’s members thought I was wrong, but that is what I believed. Nigeria, Nigerians, we don’t have time to fight each other. We should complement each other because what is the population of Nigeria compared to China?
“As at now, Nigeria is about 230 million, that is two- third of China’s population which is growing on double digits. We believe in unity, people coming together for national development and progress. And we shall continue on that trajectory. My SSG wasn’t in APC when we came in, but because of his competency, we retained him.
” Along the line other people in other parties joined us. But regrettably, the last few months or so, we have started having conflict which is related to transitory period. When transition period is coming, people are coming with different ambitions, regrettably, leading to some people leaving”.
Bagudu said: ” I don’t want to discourage anybody. I regret anybody leaving the party. But that is not to say I am afraid or we are afraid. I had in 2011 contested election against Senator Adamu Aliero’s in different political parties, not that I like it, but that is how God work.
“We hope that people will be fair minded in telling their supporters somethings that will be leading to peace and improving peaceful coexistence. But APC in Kebbi state, by God’s grace, we are not worried that somebody is leaving the party”.
Bagudu, while urging political leaders in the state to desists from utterances which could foment crisis, said: ” So, God made us in different ways, even among my children, one is opposite to the other and that is life.
“So, to those who are making uncharitable comments on me, I pray one day, they will find a way to eschew the bitterness and take their role as leaders and talk about how to move our state and country forward”.
He added that, as an elected officer, he has always refrained from criticizing anybody on public sphere and making uncharitable comments no matter the situation or what the person might have caused, stressing that leaders must be guided by the oath of office they took.
