Alleged defection: Northern youth group gives PDP 24-hour ultimatum to meet Fani-Kayode
- The rumours that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode is heading to the APC has unsettled a northern youth group within the PDP
- The group has mandated the PDP leadership to meet with the former aviation minister to ensure he stays back in the party
- The group described Fani-Kayode as an asset to the PDP, urging the party leadership to ensure that he stays back until the 2023 elections
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A group under the aegis of Northern People's Democratic Party Youth has given the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a 24-hour ultimatum to make all possible moves to retain Chief Femi Fani-Kayode in the party.
The group specifically directed the ultimatum to the PDP's Board of Trustees (BoT), National Working Committee (NWC), and other prominent stakeholders in the main opposition party.
The group said failure to do so shall cause the party havoc and disaffection not only in the northern region but also across the entire six geopolitical zones of the country.
Source: Twitter
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The zonal youth leader of the group, Honourable Ibrahim Ahmadu gave the ultimatum in a statement sent to Legit.ng on Sunday, February 14.
Part of the statement read:
“We can confidently say that the ruling APC has been very smart with the attempt to snatch Chief Fani-Kayode to their fold.
“We commend Chief Fani-Kayode for his efforts over the years at promoting the PDP and fight for the rights of the oppressed and the downtrodden.”
Legit.ng had earlier reported that the GYB2PYB Youth Support Group within the APC recently described Fani-Kayode as an asset to Nigeria.
The group made the declaration in reaction to media speculations that Fani-Kayode is heading to the ruling party.
In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday, February 9, the youth group also expressed solidarity with Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state who is rumoured to be the arrow-head of Fani-Kayode's return to the ruling party.
In a related development, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, has declared that access should be given to members of the PDP, willing to join the APC in the ongoing membership registration exercise of the ruling party.
Omo-Agege made the comment on Tuesday, February 2 in his country home in Orogun, Ughelli North local government area of Delta state.
According to him, the essence of the exercise is to rejuvenate the party in preparation for future elections hence the need to get more members into the APC fold.
Meanwhile, the Rivers state chapter of the PDP has reacted to former minister Fani-Kayode's meeting with some leaders of the ruling APC.
Rivers PDP publicity secretary, Sydney Tambari, on Tuesday, February 9, said the former aviation minister is free to defect.
Tambari said Fani-Kayode enjoys the freedom of association, hence the reason his defection cannot come as a surprise.
He, however, said the minister has not officially forwarded his resignation of PDP membership to the national leadership of the party.
Jerrywright Ukwu is an Abuja-based senior political/defence correspondent at Legit.ng. He is a graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos and the International Institute of Journalism in Abuja. He is also a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists. He spends his leisure-time reading history books. He can be reached via email at jerrywright39@yahoo.com.
Source: Legit.ng
