PDP vows to reclaim power in Katsina

• Rumbles in Kebbi opposition party

The Kasina State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the administration of Governor Aminu Bello Masari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is incompetent and lacks what it takes to develop the state.

While it vowed to oust the APC government in the coming 2019 governorship election, the party lamented that APC, in the last two and a half years, has reversed the trend of development it was able to achieve in 16 years before it suffered defeat in 2015.

Speaking during the inauguration of four standing committees over the weekend, the PDP chairman, Salisu Majigiri said APC’s two years administration has reversed PDP’s development efforts of 16 years, saying it lacks the capacity to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

However, following last week’s election of the state chairmanship position of the PDP in Kebbi State, over 2000 of party supporters are set to defect to another party.

The Guardian gathered that those that were set to leave the PDP in Kebbi were the ones who lost out in the chairmanship election.The Katsina State PDP said it is set to take over the state from the APC with a substantial plan and blue print to aim at moving the state forward.

According to Majigiri, “APC took over government without knowing what to do and that is why it lacks direction, no roadmap whatsoever. The party has failed completely, especially in Katsina; it is only good at taking loans and has so far collected about N77.7 billion as loans since 2015.”

He noted that Akwa-Ibom State, which was created the same year with Katsina, was busy commissioning projects “but our state was busy calling local musicians for entertainment during the 30th year anniversary.”

The PDP wondered which project Governor Masari can confidently invite President Buhari to come and commission despite having collected about N400 billion from the Federation Account, including the loans. 

However several efforts to reach out to the government for response proved abortive.One of the PDP stakeholders, who did not want his identity on print while briefing the media in Birnin Kebbi expressed dismay over the emerging of the Haruna Saidu as the state party chairman.

He decried the election as fraud because the names of real delegates were removed in collaboration with electoral officials.Said he, “We are consulting on which of the political parties in Kebbi to pitch out tent with because we are not definitely going to work with an unpopular candidate.”

He disclosed that complaints have already been lodged at the PDP National Headquarters and if the party’s leadership responded inappropriately, they would leave the platform.

Information also indicate that APC, being the ruling party, is seriously lobbying to accept the disgruntled PDP members into its fold. This is aimed to ensure that it lost in the forthcoming general election.

Reacting on the alleged lobby, the APC Spokesman, Alhaji Sani Dododo said his party is open to everybody.Meanwhile, effort to get response from the PDP spokesman proved abortive. His line was called several times but there was no response.