Primaries: PDP loses nine senators over crises

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The outcome of the last month’s Peoples Democratic Party primaries across the country has further led to a depletion in the membership strength of the party in the upper chamber as additional eight members have defected to the opposition parties.

APC and PDP

The affected senators are Senators Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi Central); Bassey Otu (Cross River South); Banabas Gemade (Benue North East); Mohammed Magoro ( Kebbi South); Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman ( Kogi Central); Helen Esuene (Akwa Ibom); Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom North East ); Ahmed Zannah (Borno Central ) and Saidu Alkali (Gombe North)

Enang told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that he would campaign for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan but would work for the electoral victory of all candidates of his new party, the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming election in Akwa Ibom State.

He said, “I am working for APC to ensure that it wins governorship election down to any other position. I will only work for Jonathan for presidency.”

With the development, the membership of the PDP has crashed to 64 in the red chamber, which has a total number of 109 senators while the APC now has 41 members and other parties made the remaining five.

The defecting senators attributed their action to the aftermath of the PDP primaries, which they alleged were hijacked by the governors in collaboration with the national leadership of the party.

They dumped PDP after being denied the party ticket to return to the Senate, the opposition parties had willingly accepted them and handed over the ticket to them.

Otu was denied the party’s ticket for re-election for Cross River South, which was given to Chief Geshom Bassey, the Chairman of the State Water Board.

Otu, however, settled down with the Labour Party, where he has become the party’s candidate for the February 14, Senatorial election for Cross River South.

Gemade lost the PDP ticket in his senatorial district to Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State and decided to join the APC, which has given him the ticket for a second tenure in the Senate.

Senator Mohammed Magoro, representing Kebbi South on the platform of the PDP, also joined his colleague, Senator Bagudu to the APC.

Eseune, who was one of the aggrieved 22 governorship aspirants in Akwa Ibom State that rejected the outcome of the primary that handed the governorship party ticket to Udom Emmanuel, has also defected to the APC.

Abatemi-Usman, who lost his ticket to return on the platform of the PDP, has picked the ticket of the Progressive Peoples Party.

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Primaries: PDP loses nine senators over crises