Even as the National leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)continue to lament the calamity the befell the party in the last general elections, the last May not have been heard concerning the woes it is going through, currently.
The problems of the party continued to manifest on daily basis as some of its law makers from President Goodluck Jonathan’ Bayelsa State, dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress(APC). The defectors include Senator Clever Marcus ( Bayelsa East senatorial district), who led Nadu Karibo ( Ogbia federal constituency), and member Bayelsa state House of Assembly, Mr Azibola Omekwe (Ogbia constituency along with their teeming supporters and loyalists from Bayelsa state to dump the party and decamped to the APC.
Ikisikpo who spoke on behalf of the group at the national secretariat of the APC said the interests of their constituents as well as the entire Bayelsa state would be better served in the APC. The serving Senator who is a founding member of the PDP disclosed that but for the fear of the unknown, they would have joined the APC before the start of the just concluded general elections.
He told the gathering that Governor Dickson Seriake would soon join the APC, noting;”It is, indeed, unfortunate that the PDP which used to be known for fairness and ability to accommodate different shades of opinion has been hijacked by a few people. In the party today, impugnity is the order of the day. Founding members who made the party popular to the mass of our people have been given the short shrift.
“The ungodly syndicate that have taken over the PDP has displayed unprecedented high handedness, crude arrogance and phenomenal perfidy. In most cases, unpopular decisions are taken by these few individuals and imposed on the party without consideration for dissenting voices. “A case in point is the election of members to represent Ogbia in the national and state Assemblies in the just concluded general elections. Primordial and sentimental considerations were given priority over and above competence and fairness, which had been the norm in our area. “Some of us joined the PDP in Bayelsa state since 1998 and we have been very hardworking and loyal to the party -even at extremely difficult times. We have also won elections at different levels for the party. But the present situation of betrayal and arrogance in the PDP has become so unbearable that we have come to the conclusion that it is in the best interest of our people that we quit the PDP.”
Responding, Former Governor of Bayelsa state, Mr Timipre Sylva said the development was an indication of a big harvest coming the way of the APC, assuring that the APC is now is in good stead to clinch the governorship poll later in the year. Deputy national chairman South, Engr Segun Oni who received the defectors remarked that it was heartwarming that the people of Bayelsa are now ready to embrace the change philosophy of the APC. Oni who handed brooms to the defectors one after another maintained that Bayelsa state would achieve the desired growth and development under the Buhari led administration.