Chief Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has opened up on why he moved back to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The two-time federal lawmaker said his return to the ruling party would help position APC for more wins in the future, Daily Trust reports. Senator Gemade who disclosed this on Wednesday, August 5, while speaking to reporters in Makurdi added that he rejoined the APC in order to secure his reelection into the Senate.
He explained that when he left the PDP back in 2014, it was because the party had put a framework on ground to stop his second term bid as the senator representing Benue North-East senatorial district.
In the wake of the 2019 elections, Gemade left the APC to actualize his failed third term senatorial bid on the platform of Social Democratic Party (SDP). He went on to note that similar tactics were used back in 2019 to stop him from seeking reelection and had to change camp in order to actualize his goal. He said: “When I left the PDP in 2015, precisely 2014, it was because the party had put a framework on ground to stop me from getting my second term as senator representing my senatorial zone.
“And I said well. If you have arsenals flying to shoot you down and you foolishly decide to stay there to be shot, then you are not a clever person. That’s why I left into APC. And I left in good time enough to win my election. “In 2019, similar arsenals were put on line to stop me from seeking my election back into the senate and I in a similar manner, decided to change camp in order that I can secure my reelection into the Senate.
“And then, when I saw that the climate in the APC was not conducive to guarantee that there would be fair contest in my seeking nomination, I decided to leave.” Recall that Gemade dumped the SDP in a low key ceremony at his Mbawar Council Ward, Konshisha local government area of Benue State.
He was followed by hundreds of his supporters to the APC. According to him, his decision to rejoin the APC followed due consideration of his political climate and Benue state. He noted that his return to the party was a home-coming.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Yakubu Dogara, a former past speaker of the House of Representatives, disclosed why he defected from the PDP to the APC. The lawmaker in a letter of resignation addressed to the Bogoro ‘C’ ward chairman of the PDP dated July 24, 2020, said the breakdown of governance in his native state of Bauchi prompted his defection.
In the letter through his spokesperson, Turaki Hassan, the former speaker noted that if he were to remain in the PDP, he would be accused of disloyalty for questioning governance under the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed whom he said he helped install as a governor in 2019.
