A former Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Africa, Alhaji Ahmed Ibeto, has said his decision to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was to enable him actualise his vision to transform Niger State and add value to it’s growth and development.
Ibeto, who was a deputy governor during former governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu-led PDP administration in the state, told the large crowd at his home town, shortly after obtaining PDP card No 023, at Ibelu ward, on Tuesday, that he was bringing his wealth of experience to bear in the development of the state.
He said as a thorough-bred politician, who had grown from the grassroots, played varied active partisan politics and held political and public offices across the boards without any blemish, he decided to offer himself for service to the state, to rescue it from years of underdevelopment.
Ibeto, who, until last Monday, was Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa, said he remained grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing him as an ambassador to represent Nigeria in South Africa, and for the confidence he reposed in him, as a politician, to serve Nigeria is that capacity. Ibeto put in his resignation letter on Monday, as Nigeria’s envoy and returned to the PDP, the party he left in the falls of 2014, just before the general elections of the preceding year.
On Tuesday, he traveled to his country home in Ibeto, Magama Local Government Area of Niger state, where he registered at his ward as PDP member, a prerequisite for his bona-fide membership, and a yardstick to vie for any position under the flagship of the party.
The former ambassador said he bears no grudges with anyone and insisted that even former governor, Dr. Mua’azu Babangida Aliyu, his former boss, remains his leader and one of those he respects.
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Ibeto was, between 2007 to 2015, the deputy governor of Niger state and had, at different times, served as secretary and chairman of the defunct National Republican Convention, (NRC), the National Conscience Party of Nigeria (NCPN) and All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), where he garnered lots of experiences.
He said he resigned from his ambassadorial position to return to the PDP again, through which he would freely express his political ambition as a free citizen of Nigeria.
He dismissed insinuations that there was disagreement between him and the leadership of the APC in the state and said, “I don’t play politics of bitterness.”