The Presidency on Tuesday said it would not have sleepless nights over the ruling party’s splinter group, nPDP merger with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Political Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, while reacting told State House correspondents neither the Presidency nor the PDP leadership feels threatened by the action, saying the PDP remains the party to beat in 2015.
The G7 Governors and the leadership of the new PDP led by Abubakar Baraje on Tuesday announced merger with the All Progressives Congress (APC) after about three hours meeting with the leadership of the APC at the Kano state governor’s lodge in Abuja.
Gulak however, hastened to point out that the merger was already collapsing with the decision of two of the G7 Governors, Babangida Aliyu of Niger and Sule Lamido of Jigawa, to back out.
“Well I know as of fact that five of them say that they will now join APC, but I know two issued statements that they are not part of that, Governor of Niger and Governor of Jigawa. If you are not aware, this is the fact on ground,” he said..
The Political aide also assured the Governors and other key actors that have left the party that they would be welcomed back should they decide in the nearest future to return to the party.
Gulak spoke further, “No, no, the Presidency does not feel threatened, the PDP does not feel threatened. PDP is the party to beat. We have had it before; even people who occupied higher offices left the party and came back to the party. Outside there is nothing, it is empty. PDP is the only party”.
“It’s good that they have shown the world that they have taken a stand so that PDP will not be distracted.
“And I believe those others, for a long time I have said it before that their hearts have not been in PDP.
“We are talking about peace, reconciliation is an ongoing thing. if they go outside there like those that went there before them and see that outside there is empty, they are always welcome back home like we did before”.
Gulak also said, the PDP would now “be focused to build up our party, because a lot of people are waiting for this moment. A lot of people even in the APC, ACN ANPP have contacted me that they want to come back to the PDP and were just waiting for what happened today. And to us, it is a good development”.
