Sheriff’s supporters in southwest dump PDP for Mega Party

• Good riddance to bad rubbish, says Fayose • Mark, Ali differ on reconciliation

MEMBERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the southwest, belonging to its dismissed National Chairman, Ali Modu-sheriff, have defected to the Mega Party of Nigeria (MPN). The former PDP chairman in Ondo State, Mr. Ebenezer Alabi, yesterday announced their declaration in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The Director General of Omo Ilu Foundation, Leke Adekoya, who belongs to the camp of Senator Buruji Kashamu also joined in the defection.

According to them, the PDP has been taken over by “vampires.” They told journalists at the office of the MPN on old Ife Road, Ibadan that they decided to leave the party because the Ahmed Makarfi group was not magnanimous in victory.

Alabi accused Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose and Osun State Senator Iyiola Omisore of substituting members of their state’s executives at the PDP National Headquarters in Abuja with their supporters.

He explained that, as followers of Modu-sheriff, they could no longer cope with the level of impunity in the PDP, which he said was the original cause of disagreement between the two groups.

He further disclosed that the leadership was already holding discussion with members of the group in the southwest regions to join the Mega Party to show their strength at the next general elections.

He said that “The Makarfi group chose not to be magnanimous in victory. First, they talked about offering us amnesty as if we are militants,” just as another statement credited to the party said they would not be surprised if Sheriff joins the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Efforts to get Kashamu’s reaction were unsuccessful, as his phones were switched off. But the Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose on Social Media, Lere Olayinka, described their defection as “good riddance to bad rubbish.”

Meanwhile, the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) in the North Central yesterday met in Abuja to fine-tune ways to return the party to power in 2019.

Former Senate President, David Mark, who explained that the party’s victory at the Supreme Court has automatically harmonised and strengthened it for fu-