PDP Moves to Keep Tambuwal, Offers Him Sokoto Governorship Ticket

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a desperate move to stop the perceived defection of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and keep him under his umbrella may have offered the speaker the ticket to fly the flag of the ruling party in the 2016 governorship election in Sokoto state.


Though the speaker is yet to make his intentions known as to where he would be pitching his tent at the end of the day, Speculations are rife that the speaker is only bidding his time and may soon join other top politicians from the state in APC.


The move to keep the speaker in its fold is coming on the heels of the defection of 27 out of 37 members of the Sokoto State House of Assembly.
To demonstrate its sincerity, the PDP on Thursday cancelled the planned inauguration of the caretaker committee for the state chapter of the PDP to enable Tambuwal nominates candidates who will protect his interest in the party’s affairs in Sokoto.


However, aware of the grave implications of allowing the House speaker to cross carpet, it was learnt Thursday that it had moved to make offers to the speaker to keep him in the party.


It was gathered that the decision to lobby Tambuwal to remain in PDP, which prompted the party to shelve the inauguration of the caretaker committee members for Sokoto State, was reached at a meeting between Jonathan and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio.


The meeting between the president and the governor, we gathered, came on the heels of Tambuwal’s visit to Akpabio in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Monday, during which the governor begged him to stop further defections of PDP House members to APC following the switch of political allegiance by 37 federal lawmakers.


The planned inauguration of the Sokoto State caretaker committee of the party was cancelled at the last minute even while the appointed members of the committee were waiting to be inaugurated. Only that of Kwara State which was dissolved the same time with that in Sokoto was sworn in.


Members of the Sokoto State PDP Caretaker Committee, including the nominated chairman, Hon. Abba Anas Adamu and the Secretary, Ahmadu Sulieman, were already seated at the national secretariat of PDP waiting to be inaugurated when word came from the presidency that the committee should not be inaugurated until further notice.
Sources said a list of new committee members, comprising loyalists to Tambuwal, was being complied and would be inaugurated later.