Tukur’s Exit Won’t Make Us Return To PDP, Says Okorocha

HOPES of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) elected office holders who left the party to join rival All Progressives Congress (APC) retracing their steps following the exit of the erstwhile National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, may not materialise going by the words of Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
  Speaking to The Guardian after rising from a marathon meeting with his colleagues in the APC, under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Okorocha insisted that there is absolutely no basis for such return in spite of the resignation of Tukur.
  Immediately after leaving the venue of a colloquium held in honour of the National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, as part of activities to mark his 75th birthday, the governors went straight into a closed-door meeting at the State House, Marina, Lagos.
  Those in attendance included the host, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Tanko Al-Makura of Nassarawa State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.
  Also in attendance were the APC governorship candidate in the last gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige and Kano State Deputy Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (who represented Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso).
   Okorocha, who chaired and read the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, stressed that: “If you like remove Tukur 10 times. He’s not our problem. The PDP is the problem and we will never go back to that party, under any circumstance. No serious-minded politician, who left, will go back, especially when nothing has changed.”
   The meeting deliberated, amongst other issues, on the need to strengthen the APC and its structures and reviewed the state of the nation. The meeting also discussed political developments in APC states with the aim of building a common development agenda.
   According to the communiqué, the Forum took an in-depth look at the activities of the Nigeria Police Force in Rivers State in the last couple of months.
  “Forum frowns at the recklessness, impunity and outright misconduct of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu. Forum maintains that the Nigeria Police Force is not a PDP police and such flagrant violations of the Constitution and laws of Nigeria should henceforth stop.”
  It added that the Forum deliberated extensively on the preparations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) towards the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections. It urged all relevant stakeholders involved in management of the electoral process to ensure they put together appropriate arrangements to discharge their duties lawfully and with utmost responsibility to forestall a repeat of the electoral sham experienced in Anambra and Delta States to restore the credibility in the electoral process.
 The Forum also reviewed the preparations for the commencement of membership registration. It urged all prospective members, sympathisers and party structures to also fully support the process for a comprehensive documentation and registration of the members.
  The Forum also reviewed current developments in the National Assembly, particularly the ongoing political realignments of members of the federal parliament. It charged the leadership of the National Assembly to remain consistent by respecting the rights and privileges of members to choose the political party of their choice without intimidation.