Buhari’s Meeting with Anyim Raises Suspicion of Ex-SGF’s Defection
Aregbesola describes protesters of alleged rigging in Osun as mentally ill
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Anyim Pius Anyim behind closed-doors in the Presidential Villa.
The president also met with the former Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While Uduaghan’s meeting with Buhari did not generate any interest, the president’s meeting with Anyim, a prominent leader of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, however, raised a number of questions, moreso that the former Senate President deliberately avoided journalists and rushed out of the State House in a curious manner. In recent times, prominent leaders of the opposition PDP in the South-south and South-east have been dumping the party for APC.
While some do so in search of political relevance, others defect to the ruling party, seeking protection from prosecution over allegations of fraud.
One of the former PDP leaders who recently defected to APC is a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio. His critics accused him of dumping PDP to evade imminent prosecution.
Recently, Anyim was arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of fraud.
The manner of his meeting with the president yesterday and his eventual hurried exit from the State House raised suspicions that Anyim who weighs a notable political strength in Ebonyi State might also be negotiating his exit from PDP in search of refuge.
However, Uduaghan on his part, while speaking with journalists, dismissed claims of acute crises rocking the APC following the conduct of controversial primaries in various states, describing the development as rather healthy for the party.
According to him, the situation was not unusual because any party that produces the government in power will naturally have a large number of aspirants who want to align with it.
He said: “The crisis in the party shows that the APC have become a formidable party. It is only when a party is strong and formidable that everybody will be showing interest in it.
“That is why we have this kind of issues that are going on. But I also know that the leadership is doing a lot to resolve the issues and with time, the issues will be settled and everybody will move forward and move the party forward. It is not unusual. What is happening is not unusual with a party that is growing and has become very strong.”