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Labaran Maku Replies PDP Leaders, Restates Support For President Jonathan

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Following allegations of ingratitude and political underhand tactics, the immediate past Minister of Information, Labaran Maku has replied the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he was not ungrateful, neither did he at any time infer that President Goodluck Jonathan was behind his gubernatorial aspiration.

Maku, who defected to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) after failing to land the PDP Nasarawa governorship ticket made his stance known via a press statement signed by Zakari Edego, the Publicity Director of the Maku Campaign Organisation and dated Wednesday, January 28, 2015.

He noted that last week and more recently on Tuesday, January 27, 2015, Senate President David Mark accused him of ingratitude while former PDP Chairman and current Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Ahmadu Ali described Maku as a failure who will continue failing until he returns to the PDP with apologies.

Maku says he has utmost respect for Senator Mark and Dr. Ali and will not exchange hostile banters with them, wondering why the Senate president is seemingly silent over the similar defection of two major PDP members Congress (APC) in his native Benue State – former Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Sam Ortom and former PDP National Chairman Barnabas Gemade, who are seeking the governorship and senatorial offices respectively.

Parts of the statement read: “Why has Senator Mark not condemned these defections from his native Benue state? Why the undue attention on Mr. Maku and Nasarawa State?

“The import of these attacks on the APGA governorship candidate clearly shows that there is panic in the PDP in Nasarawa State following the emergence of Mr. Maku as the Flag bearer of APGA.

“The truth of the matter is that Mr. Maku never told anyone even while contesting for the governorship ticket in the PDP that the president was behind him, neither did he suggest to anyone when he decamped to APGA that President Jonathan supported his decision.

“The PDP primaries was marred by irregularities including the change of delegates’ list and the manipulation of religion to impose Alhaji Yusuf Agabi as candidate. Some delegates’ lives were openly threatened at the ill-fated PDP primaries at Nasarawa town if they ever voted for Mr. Maku.

“Before Mr. Maku left the PDP, he followed the due process to seek redress over the highly bungled governorship primaries including petitioning the PDP Governorship Primaries Appeal Panel under the chairmanship of the National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu on the irregularities and other anti-democratic activities that led to the imposition of Alhaji Yusuf Agabi as the candidate of the PDP.

“However, the Appeal Panel neither acknowledged nor invited Mr. Maku to defend the appeal he filed against the conduct of the governorship primary election.

“Since loyalty is crucial in party politics, why was Mr. Maku, a loyal party member and leader of the party in Nasarawa state for four years schemed out of the PDP primaries on the basis of religion?

“Another pertinent question to ask is why scheme out a loyal party member who stood by the party and defended its policies and programmes at the state and national level for many years only to turn around to use his loyalty against him?

The statement expresses his belief that the undue persecution he has received is purely on religious grounds as some unnamed people within and outside Nasarawa State are of the opinion that no Christian should rule the state, adding that the development portends danger for the unity of the state especially as insurgents and mercenaries have started finding their way to the state.

“Mr. Maku’ s well considered decision to leave PDP for APGA was actually intended to bring out the real hidden issues that have continued to undermine the unity and development of Nasarawa State,” the statement continued.

“In doing so, he is fully aware that he will be blackmailed and maligned because he ever dared to challenge the status quo by those who want a divided state.

“It is equally curious how some of the PDP chieftains openly expressed their anger because Mr. Maku is campaigning for the president in Nasarawa State even though  his new party, the APGA, has adopted Mr. President as its own presidential candidate because of his sterling leadership qualities and many achievements in office.

“The Maku Campaign Organisation views the sustained attack against the APGA candidate as a desperate measure by some leaders of the PDP to distract him from campaigning to defeat their candidate and the incumbent in the upcoming governorship elections as Mr. Maku is experienced enough in politics to know there is no way a sitting president will support him in an opposition party against his own party.”

He therefore called on Maku’s supporters to ignore all insinuations and threats and continue the campaign to see him emerge as Governor of Nasarawa State and President Jonathan as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

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