The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has formally welcomed the Zamfara state governor, Bello Matawalle, to the ruling party.
The APC chieftain commended Matawalle for not succumbing to the coercion and pressure mounted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop his defection, The Guardian reported .
It was gathers that Tinubu in a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, said Governor Matawalle’s action showed that he was dedicated to bringing good governance to his state.
He encouraged Governor Matawalle to now work more closely and cooperatively with President Muhammadu Buhari to help realise his progressive mandate and tackle the challenges facing the country.
In what appears to be a message for other PDP governors, the former Lagos state governor said the ruling party’s doors are open to those who want democracy to flourish.
“The entry of Governors Matawalle, Umahi and Ayade into the party demonstrates that the APC umbrella is succinctly broad to accommodate all those with valuable ideas and contributions to the party and our country.”
Meanwhile, a member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Teejay Yusuf has berated Governor Bello Matawalle for decamping to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Hon Yusuf , asserted that it is in the PDP’s interest that highly-placed members with suspicious loyalty leave the party.
The lawmaker said their exit from the party will enable the PDP to sort out itself before the next elections in 2023.
He, however, stated that Governor Matawalle’s secret alliance with the APC has been known to some PDP leaders since February 2020.
Yusuf added that the Zamfara governor is only making himself available as a mere pawn on APC’s 2023 chessboard.
In the same vein, President Buhari has expressed joy over the governor’s “timely and wise decision to join the governing party”, adding that the APC’s doors are wide open to other politicians who believe in the vision to rebuild Nigeria, Leadership reports.
President Buhari noted that Matawalle’s voluntary defection to the ruling party proves its impressive performance in the area of good governance at all levels.
According to Buhari, many Nigerians are now attracted to the APC because it is the best alternative among other political parties, Vanguard added.
The president also called on governors and lawmakers in the ruling party across the country to strive to maintain the APC’s popularity till 2023 and beyond.
“Your performance at all levels will impact significantly on the fortunes of the party. Party leaders should avoid complacency at all times in order to build the APC from strength to strength.”