Former Governor of Kaduna State and Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi has debunked the widespread rumour that he was defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking in an interview with Journalists in Kaduna, Makarfi who was the National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the PDP, said he wondered how he should make investment in terms of time and whatever he could in PDP and now decides to leave.
According to him, "honestly, I am hearing this for the first time that I am defecting from PDP to APC and I don't know what can be the basis. Why should I make investment in terms of time and whatever you can mention in PDP and now decides to leave. Why should I go through the stress and just when we are getting it right, then I now leave the PDP for APC or any other party? "
"What will be the attraction for me to leave the PDP? Well, people don't approach me with such a rumour because they know the type of person that I am. If they want to come they come to me with substance. What could be the basis because in every rumour there must be a basis."
"Is it because members of the opposition party attended my son's wedding and that is the basis of that rumor . Even then people of my own political party were all there. Is this the kind of country that we want to build that because people from all shade of life attend wedding ceremony, burial that they will now start flying rumour of defection?"
"The rumour is the figment of the imagination of people who are jobless. I am a PDP member true and through. If I leave PDP, I should be retiring from politics. And because you hold different political opinion then you now cut off all relationship with people and you want Nigeria to move forward?"
"I will continue to hold my political opinion as a PDP person. I will continue to stand by my opinion in PDP. I have stood by it long time ago and I will continue. People that have been gallivanting between PDP and APC are known. I am in politics in PDP on principle. If people are moving across parties because they want to capture power or they want to enhance their financial economic position or whatever; I am still in PDP and I will continue to be in PDP and this time around, I believe we are going to be in power God's willing in Kaduna. And we shall be successful even at the national level," he said.
The former Governor was optimistic that PDP will win the 2023 General elections in the country and called on the leaders and other stakeholders of the party to close rank and resolve all political issues.
" All hands should be on deck to resolve all the misunderstandings associated with the outcome of the Presidential primaries and the choice of the running mate, Governor Ifeanyin Okowa of Delta State by the PDP Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar."
"All the Aspirants that contested the primaries should close rank in working for the party's success in 2023."
He said former Vice President Atiku, as the flagbearer of PDP should engage in a meeting with the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike with a view to resolving any problem that may have arisen from the choice of his running mate.
"I wont blame Wike for feeling bad because he has been one of the pillars of the party. Let the Presidential Candidate, Atiku sit down with Wike to discuss issues because he is the only one that knows why he picked his running mate. The matter is resolvable".
"PDP will bring back true democracy to Nigeria in 2023, we have learnt our lessons and we will do more than we did when we were in power.As long as elections will hold, PDP will win, but we need to work hard for us to win in 2023.PDP is set to bring back true democracy back to Nigeria, and we have learnt our lessons".
"You see, anytime there is election some people will have opinion. I that you are speaking with have gone through all that. Any result of every electoral process, I personally have never allowed that to bother me and to becloud a larger picture."
"The PDP convention was a keenly contested convention that nobody was sure of it's outcome until it came out. And me as a man of faith, when power comes, I believe it ultimately comes from God but of course, winners and losers should expect that after the election and the pains of losing, should put out all these behind them so that the party will move forward."
"No matter the personal view of many of us on the outcome, we should work with that outcome and of course, the winner now is Atiku. And of course, all leaders of the party should work tirelessly together to accommodate, because nobody can go it alone."
"Any of the aspirants who contested that presidential primary election even though if he had won, would not be able to do it alone. He would need the support of others. If Tambuwal had emerged, he would not been able to do it alone; if Wike or any other person had emerged, they would not be able to do it alone. If even as Atiku has won, he would not be able to do it alone."
On comments credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Board of Trustee (BoT) Chairman of PDP, Walid Jibrin on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Senator Makarfi said "what OBJ and Walid Jibril said were unnecessary and they shouldn't have spoken in that form."
' All we need now is how to move our party forward for the task of forming government in 2023;" he said.
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