Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, may join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the governorship election in Adamawa State, it has been learnt.
The decision followed intense pressure major stakeholders put on him to accept the party’s ticket. Also, some extended family members, relations and associates have been asking Ribadu to use PDP as a platform to realise his governorship ambition.
Adamawa State youths, under the aegis of Concerned Youth for Good Governance, mounted pressure on Ribadu yesterday to defect to PDP for the governorship election. A source said relations, associates and friends have been mounting pressure on Ribadu in the last two weeks to join the PDP for the governorship race.
It was gathered that some of those solicited by the PDP leadership to convince Ribadu had earned the confidence of the former EFCC chief over the years. Some of the stakeholders were said to be so desperate that they invoked God’s name to pressurise Ribadu.
The source said: “From the look of things, Mallam Ribadu may bow to pressure to join the PDP. His inevitable choice is informed by a bigger picture of saving Adamawa State from underdevelopment.
“The PDP may appear a bitter pill to swallow but the exit of ex-Governor Murtala Nyako has weakened the All Progressives Congress (APC), with most members defecting to PDP.
“If Nyako had been around, the APC governorship ticket would have been automatic for Ribadu. But the situation in APC in Adamawa State now is that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is now firmly in control of the party’s structure in the state. Given their antecedents, there is no way Atiku will allow Ribadu to be APC’s governorship candidate.
“Even if Atiku is forced to concede the APC ticket to Ribadu, he will win, but PDP will control the House of Assembly. We will then have a replica of the situation in Nasarawa State where Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura is at the mercy of the lawmakers.
“All these calculations make Ribadu’s defection to PDP a fait accompli. He is just waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue guidelines.”
Also, youths in Adamawa State, under the aegis of Concerned Youth for Good Governance, yesterday mounted pressure on Ribadu to defect to the PDP for the governorship election.
The youths spoke at a rally and a media briefing at Lelewa Hotel in Yola, the state capital. The briefing was addressed by their chairman, Mallam Isa Toungo.
The youth leader urged the stakeholders to save Adamawa State from bad governance by giving Ribadu a chance to lead the state on the platform of the PDP.
He said: “We call on all well-meaning citizens of Adamawa State to support our crusade of saving the state from collapse.
“In a nutshell, the content of this initiative is to strengthen our corporate existence as a people of the state with historical background living together for over 200 years.
“As of now, part of the strategies to bring sanity into the state is closely related to bringing in a well-deserved person as its chief executive to steer the state out of the present mess.
“That personality should be a man of excellent moral background, proper orientation, integrity, unimpeachable character and with a good track record of service. These should be the qualities that would determine the future leadership of our state.
“It is in the light of the afore mentioned reasons and considering our present political and economic circumstance in the state that we call on Mallam Ribadu to come out and salvage our situation by agreeing to join the PDP and contest the governorship election.
“As we call stakeholders of the ruling PDP in the state, we assure him of our support and urge him to see all political parties in Nigeria as the same. So, a call to join the largest political party in Africa to bring the desired positive change to the people of Adamawa State has become necessary.
“This is more so because in the Nigerian political system, parties are only used as platforms for electoral purposes, not for ideological difference.”
Toungo also explained why Adamawa youths chose Ribadu for the PDP.
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