Why I dumped APC – Ribadu

Nuhu Ribadu
| credits: thewillnigeria.com

The pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has partly broken his silence on his defection from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party, saying the step he took was in the pursuit of a “good cause”.

The 2011 presidential flagbearer of the Action Congress of Nigeria, a party which merged with other opposition political parties to form the APC, made his first comment on the defection to the PDP early hours of Tuesday

He promised to give details of his next political steps “in due time” but added that his decision to join the PDP was not borne out of selfish interests as being portrayed in some quarters.

He said, “As for my next step in this political struggle, this would be made known in due time. For now, I wish to assure you that my defection is in pursuit of a good cause, and never out of any selfish interests as portrayed by a section.

“Thanks for bearing with me on this decision, and for those who have been in

solidarity with my struggles and still giving me the benefits of the doubt, I’m most grateful. I’ll never let you down on this new path.”

Ribadu formally joined the PDP on Saturday, and on Monday he picked the PDP’s Expression of Interest form to run for the forthcoming Adamawa State governorship bye-election slated for October 11.

Though he did not mention it in his Facebook post, the ex-EFCC boss is believed to have left the APC because he felt it would be impossible for him to realise his governorship ambition on the platform of the APC.

He is also said to be habouring many unresolved grievances against the leadership of the APC, who he believed failed to compensate him for his sacrifices for the party.

Parts of such sacrifices, according to sources in his political camp, were his roles in wooing some PDP governors to the APC and his readiness to sacrifice his presidential ambition for the progress of the party.

He is also said to have felt sidelined by the party, which sources close to him, said was no longer inviting him to key meetings at both state and national levels.

All the candidates he also backed for the state and national offices of the party were also said to have been dropped.

In addition, he was said to have been disappointed that the APC failed to mobilise sufficient support to block the impeachment of the former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, whose stay in office till 2015 he considered critical to his chances of winning the governorship election in 2015.

But in his Tuesday’s Facebook post, which he addressed to his friends, Ribadu maintained that his defection to join the PDP was taken after careful consideration and was not done to hurt anybody’s feelings.

He was apparently forced to make his first comment on the defection in order to debunk statements credited to him as “disparaging” APC and its members, including Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano).

He denied making such statements.

Ribadu said, “I know how difficult it may be for you to come to terms with my defection to another party. But I must assure you that it’s a carefully considered decision for which I do not wish to hurt anyone’s feeling. I’ll not embark on a needless animosity with my good friends, irrespective of political, religious, regional and ethnic affiliations.

“Let me quickly make it known that I did not issue a statement disparaging APC and its members, including Governors Amaechi, Kwankwaso… These were clearly fabricated, expected backlash, by mischievous characters interested in misleading the public and drawing a picture of non-existent feuds between me and my good friends.

“My defection shouldn’t be seen as an initiation of political antagonism with my good friends in another party. I still hold them in high esteem, and even where there are marked differences, I believe there are decorous and honorable ways of resolving them. So, kindly disregard any statement said to be by me attacking the personality of any politician since my defection. I’ll never allow myself to be drawn into such disrespectful exchange.”