Babangida berates Mu’azu for holding on as PDP chair

                                                                Babangida and Mu'azu

Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State yesterday, took a swipe at the Adamu Muazu- led National Working Committee NWC of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for holding on to power after leading the party to a ‘’disastrous defeat,’’ in the last general elections in the country, saying that the best and most civilised thing was to throw in the towel.
Aliyu who spoke at the commissioning of the multi -billion Naira Shiroro Bridge linking Niger and Kaduna States, however said that the loss suffered by the party at presidential level and in most states coupled with the massive defection of some members to the All Progressives Congress, APC, were not enough reasons for him to dump the party.
Also, his Jigawa State counterpart, Alhaji Sule Lamido, who spoke on the occasion said that he would not leave the PDP which he was a foundation member for tenants saying that defection was not the answer to such defeat in a democracy.
However, Governor Aliyu said, ‘‘how could you lead a party to disastrous outing in an election and you are still in that place, take the blame for the defeat by quitting and if the PDP still wants you they will beg you to stay?’’

He warned that if Muazu and his team refused to throw in the towel now ‘’the actual change will come in March 2016 when we will elect new leaders at the national convention of our party.’’
On the PDP, the two governors said that they had no plans to quit the party or float a new one in readiness for the 2019 general elections.
Aliyu who spoke first described the speculations by some people to this effect as not only misleading and without any root but mere fabrications of falsehood.
‘We are not creating a new party; we will remain in the PDP and whoever planted the story has made a mistake.
‘’We had opportunity to defect when the G7 were together but we did not because we believe that defection is not the best way to develop and entrench democracy. Whatever you see today is designed by God as it is not compulsory to be on the winning side always.
Sule Lamido, you are not floating any new party. You and your godson will remain in PDP forever. Whoever planted that story has made a mistake because for us, we had every opportunity to have decamped or defected but we did not because we know in political development, particularly in a democracy, defection is not the best way to develop and entrench democracy in any society,” Aliyu declared.
He further said the loss of presidential election by the party and the loss of many governors should be seen as a big lesson to everyone pointing out that after 16 years of being in power, we should not be annoyed neither should we show unfaithfulness’.