“The minority leader who is a PDP member in the house is handling the matter. I am aware that six APC lawmakers in the house are talking with him. They said they were not happy with the APC and are eager to join the PDP. We are considering their proposal,” he said.
In Borno State, some political observers argued that the defection of Modu-Sheriff, the estranged godfather of the present governor, Kashim Shettima, would make it easy for the ruling PDP to effect the removal of the governor.
Already, the former governor has three members of the House of Representatives, AbdulRahman Terab, Peter Biye and Lawan Isa, who are set to move with him to the new party.
Though many of the members of the House of Assembly have not come out to associate openly with the former governor, they are suspected to be holding secret talks with him and may move with him to the PDP.
The permission given by the presidency to the former governor to land at the Maiduguri International Airport, which has been closed to all manner of flights for over two weeks, some observers have noted, is a pointer to the extent that the PDP will empower the ex-governor to upturn the political balance in the state.
The thinking is that with what happened in Adamawa State where the governor was removed and in Nasarawa, where the governor has been served with notice of impeachment, many believe Borno may be in the radar of the President and the PDP for a similar treatment.
But a member of the state House of Assembly, who spoke under anonymity, said Borno lawmakers would not mete out the same treatment to Shettima, saying, “He has been nice to us and we see ourselves as part and parcel of this administration. We have never had any major crisis under this dispensation and why now?”
The lawmaker said the current chairman of the APC in the state, Hon. Bukar Ali Dalori, was a member of the Assembly. “So, why should we betray such trust and go with the opposition who can never be trusted.”
Another respected politician in the state, who did not want his name in print, said, “2015 is still a long way away and if Sheriff brings enough money from Abuja, he could destabilise the system and even move for the governor’s impeachment.”
A top aide to Shettima, who would not have his name in print, said, “The issue of impeachment doesn’t arise in Borno State. The issue will only be a distraction and the governor is focused on delivering on his promises to the people of Borno State.”
He added, “Of course, you know that unlike what obtained in Adamawa, a PDP lawmaker in Borno State defected to APC. The State chairman was from the State Assembly, all of these confirm the level of cohesion between the two arms, and it will be difficult to change this.”[eap_ad_4]