"Why I did not defect to APC" - Gov. Babangida Aliyu

Niger state Governor Dr. Babangida Aliyu may have finally dumped the G7 just as he has given reasons why he did not defect along with the 5 from the G7 governors to APC saying, “our mission had been to reform the PDP and put it on the right track and not to defect to any other party.

He said his decision to remain in PDP to fight on should therefore not been seen as a betrayal of his other colleagues who have already defected to All Progressive Congress (APC).

According to him, “I only led the so called G7 as a result of a reform we were looking for in our party. The idea was not to leave our party (PDP); The idea was to reform it and fight to a logical conclusion before taken our final decision and since the fight is still on, there is no point of decamping.”

Governor Aliyu also explained that his continuous stay in PDP is not a personal decision but the decision of his people in the state and there is no way he would take such gigantic step without consulting them.

“The fight is not about me, it is not a one man show, it is not about my ambition. It is about my people. There is no way I will take any decision without coming back to my people to seek for their views.

Majority of my people prefer that we stay in PDP and we will stay and make it work,” Governor Aliyu declared.

The governor who made his stand non while receiving members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) led by the Country Vice President, Barrister Hauwa Shekarau during courtesy visit at government house Minna yesterday said the decision of his colleagues to joint the APC was their personal decision while his decision to also remain in PDP is also personal.

“The decisions of my colleagues to join APC is highly respected and I respect their decisions and they should also respect my own decision too to remain in PDP.

“If along the line of the struggle, some people find it more expedite to leave the party, that is their decision and I respect that. Those of us who felt we still need a reform and we felt that we should remain, I think our views and actions should also be respected.”

The governor threw his weight behind the idea of a two party system in the country adding that it would put an end to political prostitution in the country.

“For us in Niger state, we welcome the development of two parties in this country rather than having so many parties and end up creating more political prostitutes but if we have two parties, we would know how these things can play and control it.”