Follow Us on Google
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Convention Committee, and Jigawa State Governor,Abubakar Badaru, has dismissed rumours making rounds that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, are negotiating with the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to dump the ruling APC.
Badaru said what happened last weekend, in the state, during the APC rally was not crisis, but political shunting by different supporters of the aspirants.
He said these while fielding questions from State House Correspondents, after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, at the State House.
He also assured that the forthcoming APC convention will be peaceful.
“We expect a peaceful, rancour free and good convention. All members are one. They are all united, and I’m sure the convention will bring everybody together. In democracy, if you are open and straight forward, things get done well. I don’t think there should be any problem.”
On the alleged political unrest in the state last weekend, during the APC rally, he said: “Political unrest, no, it is not true. It is normal political shunting. Shunting between groups that are contesting the same position and people passing by.
“Some groups will shunt for their own and others will shunt for another person; that was what happened. It was a great rally, and it is normal, in every gathering, you have different supporters of different people contesting the same position.”
On the rumoured plan by Saraki and Tambuwal as well as some other bigwigs of the APC to defect to the PDP, Badaru said there were no negotiations going on. “No, I don’t think so, and I have not heard such rumours. I don’t think there is such negotiation going on,” he said.
Badaru added: “It is not true that Tambuwal and Saraki are negotiating with the PDP, we have not heard of that. Few weeks back, there were rumours about Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and he made it clear at our last NEC, that he is not moving anywhere.
“Those are rumours flying around, but, they don’t have consequence. We are united, Governor Tambuwal is with us and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is also with APC, and we have not had any reason to think they are negotiating elsewhere, no.”
