Mu’azu, PDP govs in peace meeting with Reps

Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, and nine governors of the party yesterday met with the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives, in a bid to stop further defections to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).Speaking at the late-night meeting in Abuja, Mu’azu said the era of side-lining National […]

Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, and nine governors of the party yesterday met with the PDP caucus in the House of Representatives, in a bid to stop further defections to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking at the late-night meeting in Abuja, Mu’azu said the era of side-lining National Assembly members from the party was over.
He regretted that the party had before now allowed things to go wrong, which was why members of the party felt aggrieved.
“This is a new era. Thank God you have a chairman that is of your generation. It’s a pity that things have gone wrong. This will be a thing of the past. I promise you we will be meeting as regularly as possible,” he said.
“I know what many of you don’t know. I want to assure you that I will be meeting you as regularly as the leadership of the House allowed, to advise you.”
Mu’azu, who said the PDP is one big family that should not be allowed to break, said “our party is a big party, and if it gives you platform to be here, you have to be loyal.”
In his remark, chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio said lack of holding such meetings with the lawmakers in the past led to the problems in the party.
He promised that his forum would continue to facilitate meetings between the party and the lawmakers.
Earlier, House Leader Mulikat Akande-Adeola pleaded with the party to fulfill its promise of giving the lawmakers automatic tickets, saying they deserved it in view of their positions in the party.
However, Mu’azu reserved his comment on the automatic ticket, saying he would address it at the end of the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Mukhtar Yero (Kaduna), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Theodore Orji (Abia), Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) and Taraba Acting Governor Garba Umar.
Ondo Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Labour Party and his Anambra counterpart Peter Obi of APGA accompanied the PDP Governors’ Forum chairman. Akpabio said the two governors only accompanied him to the meeting and not to take part in it. The two later left the venue.
Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Deputy Leader Leo Ogor were also at the meeting, along with many other PDP lawmakers.
A source told our reporter that the governors were particularly disturbed by the rumours making the rounds about the defection of Tambuwal to the APC.
The APC had threatened to take over leadership of the House after 37 members of the PDP defected to the party in December.
Following the opening session that was done publicly, the meeting went into a closed door session and was still going on by 10pm.