The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi State is making frantic efforts to prevent the defection of three serving senators to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Barring any unforeseen developments, Senators Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South) are expected to formally declare their defection to the APC on Tuesday.
Naijaonpoint reports this follows a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, which the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, facilitated.
Reports indicate that the senators will be accompanied by a significant number of supporters, including serving and former PDP executives from all three senatorial districts in Kebbi State. This defection is poised to shake the foundations of the PDP in the state.
In response to the imminent defections, Daily Post gathered that the PDP’s State Chairman, Usman Bello-Suru, called an emergency meeting of party stakeholders on Friday night.
The meeting was aimed at finding a solution to prevent the political exodus. A source who attended the meeting disclosed that various strategies were discussed, including the possibility of obtaining a court injunction or making direct appeals to the senators.
The consensus, however, was to engage the senators personally and encourage them to remain within the party to help strengthen it at a critical time.
“Several options were explored, including legal steps, but it was agreed that the best approach would be to convince them to remain in the PDP and continue building what they’ve helped to establish over the years,” the source said.
Despite the party’s efforts, communication with the senators has proven challenging. “Since the defection news broke, they have stopped picking calls from the party chairman,” the source added, indicating that the defections are likely imminent.
The current political crisis in Kebbi follows a public statement made just weeks ago by PDP Chairman Usman Bello-Suru, who dismissed rumours of defections within the party.
He had assured members, “PDP remains one indivisible entity that will continue to play an opposition role in the state.”
However, with prominent figures like Senator Aliero, a former two-term governor of Kebbi and ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, at the centre of the defection plans, those reassurances now appear contradictory.
Senator Aliero, who has a history of political cross-carpeting, having left and rejoined the PDP in the past, is particularly influential in this unfolding drama. His potential defection to the APC is seen as a significant blow to the PDP in the state.
Despite the growing crisis, some PDP members are maintaining a calm stance. “If they decide to leave, life goes on,” a senior PDP chieftain told Daily Post. “PDP is like a military barracks, soldiers come, soldiers go, but the barracks remains,” he said, underscoring the party’s resilience.
Should the defections proceed as planned, the APC’s numerical strength in the 10th Senate will rise to 68, while the PDP’s will be reduced to just 30