Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, on Thursday, March 5, 2015 explained why he did not join the governors of Rivers, Adamawa, Kwara, Sokoto and Kano States in decamping from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking to State House correspondents after a paying a visit to President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Governor Aliyu said it was better to correct whatever anomaly was noticed in the party than leaving.
He said: “Some people in their own planning, they were looking for that kind of division that will give them cover.
“So immediately even when the corrections were being made, they jumped the gun which is their right but I think whatever action they took, they should not expect that the society will look at you and pat you on the back for taking a decision that you know there must be a repercussion. There must be a reaction.”
He also addressed the issue of the rift between himself and his deputy, Musa Ibeto saying: “We were elected on the same ticket and morally if you decide to cut away from that ticket, it will mean you should resign but our political culture has not gone to that level, “I hope we will reach a situation that the society will demand that we voted you under this party, no matter the difficulties, three months to election, you decide to decamp.
“We are competing now, at least in competition, you sit down and listen to everything and you carry to the other side.
“I did not walk him out of the meeting, we said how does he resolve this morality matter and he said to me, excuse me while the council will decide on the matter.
“Secondly, on the 18th of February, I was already planning on the 19th of February to leave for Saudi Arabia when I saw his letter on my table saying he was going to leave on the same day and he was in Abuja attending APC meeting.
“I assumed he was going and there is nothing legally or technically tpreventing me from giving the Speaker. Nothing has been abused.
“Since I started in 2007, I have never travelled without writing the President and the state assembly to say that my deputy will act but because of the letter I saw on the 18th that he was travelling on the 19th and with the little friction that was there, I assumed he was going to go even without getting the approval.
“I said since my plan is already on, the Speaker should act with regards to the friction, people have the right to leave as they want but there are rules, if there is a division, like we saw some people creating division to be able to jump the party.
“The fact is that the Office of the Deputy Governor is always outside the Govt House but in my approach and being a former civil servant, I invited him to come near me.
“But we have not been staying in the Government. House, the two of us are not staying there, we are now renovating the house because we don’t know who is coming. In April, I will have to vacate my office for about two weeks for repairs so that whoever comes in will not bother with repairs.
“But because of the coincidence of what has happened, the moment has given the deputy governor the impetus to think it was done to spite somebody but it was not.”
Addressing the issue of using card readers for the forthcoming election, Governor Aliyu posited thus: “I think we are still discussing that matter. The concern of many people is that the card reader may have difficulties particularly in the rural areas but we have been told that if they are charged, they will be okay.
“The stand of many of the political parties is that where you have difficulties, what happens? I remember when they were registering me for the National Identity card. For me alone, it took about one hour. Suppose there are difficulties in the polling units where you have 500 people and it takes the card reader a long time?
“I understand INEC is going to conduct elementary ways of finding out whether that is possible. The moment the parties are convinced, I think it will be okay.”
