PDP loses nine senators to APC, others

The outcome of last month's Peoples Democratic
Party primary election across the country has further
led to depletion in the membership strength of the
party in the upper chamber. This week, additional nine
members of the PDP have defected to the opposition
parties.
The affected senators are Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi
Central); Bassey Otu (Cross River South); Barnabas
Gemade (Benue North East); Mohammed Magoro
( Kebbi South); Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman ( Kogi
Central); Helen Esuene (Akwa Ibom); and Ita Enang
(Akwa Ibom North East ). Others are Ahmed Zannah
(Borno Central) and Saidu Alkali (Gombe North).
Enang told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that he
would campaign for the re-election of President
Goodluck Jonathan but would work for the electoral
victory of all candidates of his new party, the All
Progressives Congress in the forthcoming elections in
Akwa Ibom State.
He said, "I am working for the APC to ensure that it
wins governorship election down to any other
position. I will only work for Jonathan for presidency."
With the development, the membership of the PDP
crashed to 64 in the red chamber which has a total
number of 109 senators. The APC now has 41
members while other parties constitute the remaining
five.
The defecting senators attributed their action to the
aftermath of the PDP primary which they alleged was
hijacked by the governors in collaboration with the
national leadership of the party.
They dumped the PDP after being denied the party's
tickets to return to the Senate. The opposition parties
had willingly accepted them and handed over the
tickets to them.
Otu was denied the party's ticket for a re-election in
Cross River South which was given to Chief Geshom
Bassey, the Chairman of the state Water Board.
Otu, however, settled down with the Labour Party
where he had become the party's candidate for the
February 14 senatorial election for Cross River South.
Gemade lost the PDP ticket in his senatorial district to
Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State and decided
to join the APC, which had subsequently given him the
ticket for the second term in the Senate.
Senator Mohammed Magoro representing Kebbi South
on the platform of the PDP also joined his colleague,
Senator Bagudu, of the APC.
Esuene, who was one of the aggrieved 22
governorship aspirants in Akwa Ibom State that
rejected the outcome of the primary that handed the
governorship party ticket to Emmanuel Udom, had
also defected to the APC.
Abatemi-Usman, who lost the ticket to return on the
platform of the PDP, has picked the ticket of the
Progressive Peoples Party.