Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Convention Committee and Jigawa State governor, Abubakar Badaru, on Monday, dismissed rumours making rounds that Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State were negotiating to dump the ruling party for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Governor Badaru explained that what happened last weekend in the state during the APC rally was not a crisis, but ‘political chanting by different supporters of various aspirants’.
The governor said these while fielding questions from State House Correspondents after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, in Abuja.
He also assured that the forthcoming APC convention would be peaceful as different camps in the party were already united.
On what to expect from the convention, Governor Badaru said, “We expect a peaceful and rancour free and good convention. All members are one. They are all united and I am sure the convention will bring everybody together. And in democracy, if you are open and straight forward, things get done well, I don’t think there should be any problem.”
Speaking on alleged political unrest in his state at the weekend during the APC rally, Governor Badaru said, “Political unrest? No, it is not true. It is normal political chanting. Chanting between groups that are contesting the same position and People passing by.
“Some some groups will shunt for their own and others will shunt for another person and that was what happened. That was a great rally. It is normal in every gathering, you have different supporters supporting different people contesting the same position.
On the rumoured plan by the Senate President and Governor Tambuwal as well as some other bigwigs of the APC to defect to the PDP, Governor Badaru said there were no negotiations going on. “No I don’t think so and I have not heard that rumours and I don’t think there is such negotiation going on,” he said.
Badaru added, “It is not true that Tambuwal and Saraki are negotiating with the PDP, we have not heard of that. Some few weeks back there was rumour about the governor of Benue (Governor Samuel Ortom) and he made it clear at our last NEC that he is not moving anywhere.
“Those are rumours flying around but they don’t have consequence. We are united, governor Tambuwal is with us and the Distinguished senator Bukola Saraki, the Senate President is also with APC and we have not had any reason to think that they are negotiating elsewhere. No.”