Fear of Ibori, Sylva treatment grips 3 PDP govs •Plan to defect to APC

IT emerged in Abuja on Tuesday that some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) who are planning to defect to the emerging mega party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) are gripped by the fear that President Goodluck Jonathan could give them the James Ibori or Timpre Sylva treatment if elected in 2015.

Sources at a meeting of the merger APC held in Abuja on Friday, March 22 stated that three of the PDP governors who approached the leaders of the party have stated that they were afraid that the Anti-graft agencies could go after them and that if Jonathan gets elected again in 2015 he would not give them any cover.

A source  at the Friday meeting was told that at least three governors of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) have concluded arrangements to defect to the new party upon its formation.

The source said that a South South governor has assured the leaders of the party that he will not remain in the fold of the PDP if President Goodluck Jonathan decides to contest the 2015 election because of the fear that he could be sent to jail by any of the nation’s anti-graft agencies.

“We were told that at least three PDP governors have confirmed their support for and willingness to decamp to the new opposition platform if Mr. President would be running for the 2015 Presidential race.

“One of them (names withheld) particularly told APC leaders that if  Mr. President eventually succeeds in his re-election ambition, he (Mr. President) would carry out similar treatments he meted out to Timipre Sylva and  James Ibori former Governors of Bayelsa and Delta States on any of them.
They concluded that it is better to support another candidate who would possibly protect them,” a source at the meeting said.

The merging political parties, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have also concluded plans to institute a legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the use of acronym APC.

A meeting of the Joint Contact Committee of the merger parties held in Abuja last Friday concluded that a suit be instituted against INEC  to secure an injunction restraining anybody from  registering the name APC pending the conclusion of the National Convention of the merger parties.

Sources at the meeting said that the sub-committee of the Joint Contact Committee saddled with the responsibility to resolve the name crisis had suggested that a suit be instituted against INEC, such that an injunction would be secured to restrain the body from registering any party in the name of APC pending the conclusion of the National Convention of the merging parties.

Although there was also the suggestion that the parties could adopt the name All Progressives Congress of Nigeria (APCN), a source said that the parties believed that they could still stick to the original name APC and sail through.

A source said that the Legal Team has however concluded that the best way out was for the merging parties is to seek a court injunction to restrain the INEC from recognising any other political groups/associations with the APC acronym apart from their own political platform.”

The source said that such a development would ensure that the parties  are able to conduct their national conventions peacefully and assume the name APC afterwards.
Tribune