APC leaders mount pressure as Ribadu concludes plans to defect To PDP
There were strong indications yesterday that former Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has
concluded plans to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in
spite of pressure to shelve such move.
A source in his campaign organisation said Ribadu might announce his
final decision on or before Friday to lay all speculations to rest.
It was learnt that the initial plan was for Ribadu to defect on Thursday
at a mini-rally in Yola, but he decided to hold more consultations
following protests from some stakeholders in Adamawa PDP.
Ribadu was also said to be hurt by alleged blackmail by some of his rivals in PDP, who have drawn a battle line. But some leaders of the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) have
held last minutes meeting with Ribadu to plead with him to shelve the
plan.
Another reliable source said: “Barring any last minute hitch,
Ribadu has concluded arrangements to defect to the ruling PDP on or
before Friday to settle the controversy trailing his defection once and
for all. Meetings to this effect were concluded last weekend.
“All I
can tell you is that Ribadu will make his decision known to Nigerians.
He is almost finalising last segment of consultations. “The only thing disturbing Ribadu and his team is the increasing mudslinging and attacks on his person.” Another source gave insights into the final stage of plans to bring Ribadu on board by some PDP leaders.
The source said: “In one of the meetings in Abuja, a PDP stakeholder
from Adamawa Southern Senatorial District invited a couple of APC
chairmen from Adamawa State, together with a handful of former members
of the state Assembly during the tenure of former Governor Boni Haruna
in the company of three members of the current PDP State Executive
Council to a meeting with Ribadu himself in attendance.
“The
stakeholder, who happens to come from the same local government with a
top aide to Mr. President, informed the meeting that he was personally
directed by Mr. President to invite them to the meeting and inform them
that the defection of Ribadu to PDP had the full support of Mr.
President.
“He said what they needed to do was to mobilise the ward
delegates in readiness for the party primaries that would soon take
place, especially given the fact that apart from those three members of
the state PDP Executive Council that were at the meeting, all the others
cannot be relied upon. “He further told the meeting that Ribadu
would be granted a waiver to contest the governorship whether the state
chapter of the party liked it or not.”
Another source
said: “A cabal is behind the coming of Ribadu and the way it is going
about it, it cannot impose Ribadu on PDP in Adamawa. We know their game
plan.
“From Kaduna, a very close ally and former minister in the
early 80s brokered a meeting between Ribadu, who is his godson with
Awwal Tukur, his nephew and son-in law on how to prosecute the Nuhu
ticket.
“From all these and in spite of the stiff opposition from
all other major stakeholders of PDP Adamawa, we wait to see how Ribadu
can scale through and pick a ticket to run under PDP, a party he had a
few months ago called assembly of rogues and a Federal Government he
had run down naked before the nation and international community in his
report on the oil sector.”
