Defection: You Lied, PDP No Longer Party To Beat, Amaechi, Nyako Reply Jonathan

Governors Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Murtala Nyako of Rivers and Adamawa State respectively have told President Goodluck Jonathan that time will tell if their defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, will affect the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, or not.

The governors, who are among five other PDP governors that defected to the APC were reacting to a comment credited to President Jonathan when he spoke with some media houses before departing Paris for Abuja at the close of a two-day summit on peace and security in Africa last week, that PDP still remained the party to beat despite the depletion in its ranks.

“We want those governors to come back to the PDP, but in an event where some of them feel that it is better to stay outside, they can go and try”, the president was quoted as saying.

He added that “If they are leaving, we will work harder to make sure that we get more supporters so that at the end of the day, the equilibrium will be maintained. But I still believe that in Nigeria today, the PDP is still the party to beat”.

But the governors in their separate reactions faulted Mr. Jonathan saying the impact of their departure will manifest with time.

Amaechi, who spoke through the Chief of Staff Government House, Chief Tony Okocha,   said that “The governor will not controvert Mr. President. But let us watch and see. When you have 23 children and you lose five, it will impact on you, especially when you are losing them to your opponents and not to death”.

Nyako, who spoke through his Director of Press and Public Relations, Ahmed Sajoh, said “It is a pity that the President still thinks and feels that way. It is really a pity”.