There appears to be silent jubilation in the North as the “rebel” governors in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declare for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Pointblanknews.com reports that politicians and kingmakers in the North receive the news with happiness as they see it as a step further towards the realization of northern presidency.
National Assembly Matters adviser to ex-president Shehu Shagari in the Second Republic, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai said the latest defection would bring vibrancy in the polity.
Also, former President of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, and member of the APC in Jigawa state, Malam Sani Zorro described the development as a plus to Nigeria’s democracy.
Yakasai said the defection of the G-7 governors to the APC is an eye-opener to the PDP leadership who would now be forced to buckle up and face realities.
“The implication is that the PDP is now down 18, instead of 22, APC will now have 16 governors. One can project that the governorship election in 2015 will be altered as the PDP may lose four states, Sokoto, Kano, Rivers and Adamawa.”
He further noted that it is not yet victory for the APC as there is much work to do on integrating and harmonizing the new comers with the old members of the party.
Sani Zorro in his views said the option taken by the defecting governors was welcome development to the nation’s democracy.
“It is a testimony to the progressive political development in the history of Nigeria in recent times,” pointing out that the birth of APC, “is the fourth merger out of so many that have been tried and has failed since 1981 to date, where so many efforts were made by the progressives to come together but this time, it has come to stay. I congrate the defecting governors for their determination and foresight. I also congratulate the leadership APC for forging the alliance of three parties.”