There are strong indications that the All Progressives Congress, APC Senators Sani Danladi, Joel Ikenya and many other party members in Taraba state are gearing up to defect to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, DAILY NIGERIAN can authoritatively report.
The source confirmed to our correspondent that the two Taraba senators held a secret meeting with Governor Darius Ishaku on Tuesday night at the state governor’s lodge, popularly called TY Danjuma House, in Abuja with a view to wooing them back to the PDP.
“Also in attendance at the meeting were some former Deputy Governors and comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, the current President of the Trade Union Congress TUC.
“Others were a serving PDP Senator Emmanuel Bwacha and Member representing Ibi/Wukari Federal Constituency, Danji Ibbi and a member representing Takum 2 at State Assembly, Mark Hussaini,” the source disclosed.
According to the source, if what transpired in the Taraba state Governor’s lodge is anything to go by, then the APC in the state will witness the resignation of some of its members from the party very soon.
However, another source said that top on the agenda of the highly secretive meeting was the possibility of either the APC stalwarts dumping their party and coming back to the PDP, their former party, or staying behind in the APC and act as ‘enemy within’.
He said: “While Sani Danladi was said to be more inclined towards reverting back to his former party because of his current position as Special Assistant (Special Duties) to Senate President Bukola Saraki who recently decamped to the PDP, other APC members at the meeting believed destroying the Taraba APC from within would be ‘more effective’.
“The meeting, which lasted until the early hours of the morning, finally agreed that the APC “bigwigs” would in the interim and in order not to lose any favours from the APC led Federal Government, remain in the party but would help Mr Ishaku to retain his seat as Governor in the 2019 general elections.
“The Governor was equally assured that he should not rule out the possibility of ‘openly dumping the APC if the National Political environment becomes conducive’,” the source revealed.
The source added that the meeting which was convened by Mark Hussaini agreed that both parties should discreetly engage in extensive consultations before their next meeting.
Political feelers within the state believed that Mr Ishaku became governor due to the dogged efforts of both former acting Governor Sani Danladi and Senator Joel Ikenya. It would, therefore, amount to “political suicide” for the governor not to engage their services in 2019.
Recall that the senators were PDP members who defected to the ruling APC when the party formed government at the centre.
“It will, therefore, be no surprise if they entered into any unholy alliances with the PDP in order to betray the APC,” another source noted.
However, efforts to reach the senators for comment proved abortive as both of them could not pick their calls nor respond to the text messages sent to them by DAILY NIGERIAN.
