The federal lawmaker representing Benue South, Abba Moro, has expressed his intention not to be a part of the new African Democratic Congress (ADC) but to remain a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Moro, who is also the Senate Minority leader, made this known on Tuesday via his Facebook page.
The coalition’s leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, and other prominent figures within the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC), including former Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, who serves as the interim National Secretary of the party.
Moro noted that as a founding member of the PDP, who has held several elective positions while in the party, he has no intention of leaving.
He said, “I want to make it very, very clear here, I joined the People’s Democratic Party in 1998 at its formative year, and so I think I am qualified to see myself as a founding member of the PDP. I was one of the first set of persons elected on the platform of that party.”
Moro expressed that precisely on December 8, 1998, local government elections were conducted across the country, he contested to be chairman of his local government, Okpokwu local government council in Benue state, and won.
“I was eventually sworn in on May 29, 1999, as the executive chairman of Okpokwu local government and at various times, I became the chairman of the local government, either as caretaker chairman or as an elected chairman. And I was the ALGON chairman of Benue state within this period. And that is how I have come along with the PDP,” he said.
I have no plan to exit PDP – Moro
The lawmaker further stated there is no plan for him to exit the PDP, nor will he do so.
“I have never defected to another party. I have never joined another party. And as I am talking to you now, I have never defected,” he said.
“I am a bona fide member of PDP. I am not joining any coalition. I have not joined any coalition. I don’t intend to join any coalition.”
He, however, warned against forming political alliances out of frustration, saying Nigeria needs serious-minded leadership and implored politicians and Nigerians to make use of established structures to contest elections.
“And quite frankly, I think that we should approach Nigeria with a serious mind of electing people who are prepared to govern this country. I think it is inappropriate to begin to take decisions based on grievances, based on failed expectations arising from frustrations of rising expectations.”
“And so today, I want to encourage all of us to utilise existing platforms to run elections. I know that there are some limitations. There are some concerns about some of the policies of the present administration. I know that people are hurting. I know that people think that enough has not been done.
“But I think the politics of gang-up is not a solution to our problems. And so I think that if we are heading in the wrong direction, we should be able to trace our steps and head in the right direction.”
Moro blames Okowa for PDP’s loss in 2023 election
Earlier, New Daily Prime reported that Moro blamed the choice of Ifeanyi Okowa as vice-presidential candidate for the PDP’s loss in the 2023 presidential election.
Okowa, the former Governor of Delta State, who recently defected from PDP to the APC, was the running mate of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the election won by President Bola Tinubu.
“Given what we know now, with the benefit of hindsight, some of us believe the PDP would have won the election had a different vice-presidential candidate from the South been selected,” he said.
Moro criticised Okowa’s failure to deliver his home state of Delta to the PDP, questioning his commitment to the party during the election.
He noted that two out of the three senators from Delta were elected on platforms other than the PDP, despite Okowa being both a sitting governor and former senator at the time.
“How else would you describe a situation where a sitting governor and vice-presidential candidate couldn’t deliver his state to his own party’s presidential candidate?” he asked.
