I’m in touch with PDP defectors – Sheriff

Ali Modu Sheriff

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, said he has started reaching out to those who left the party for the All Progressives Congress and other political parties.
But he said he won’t mention their names yet.
The former governor of Borno State refused to say if he had also met with the President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki on whether the latter would return to the PDP or not.
Sheriff, who spoke to our correspondent through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Inuwa Bwala in Abuja on Saturday, said the controversy that trailed his appointment was as a result of alleged panic in the camp of the ruling party.
He said the APC leadership was aware of his capability to unite the members of the PDP and also bring back those who defected to the APC, hence the controversy on his appointment.
Bwala said, “We have started reaching out to those who left the PDP and we are discussing already.
“We are getting positive results from them, but we won’t go to the pages of newspapers to announce their names.
“The APC and its leadership are aware that Sheriff has the ability to unite the members of the PDP and also bring back those who have left the party.
“This was why we had the initial controversy on the appointment. But now, we have thrown that behind us as we have resumed work fully.”
Meanwhile, a former Minister of National Planning under the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Suleiman Abubakar, has scolded Governor Ayodele Fayose over his comments that President Muhammadu Buhari was turning Nigeria to an Islamic state.
Fayose had alleged that the trip by President Buhari and five governors to Saudi Arabia was an attempt to transform Nigeria into an Islamic nation.
The former minister described said that the statement “should be seen as a misguided utterances and not a true reflection of the perceptions of most members of our party.”
He said in a statement that the statement was “not only capable of heighten the centrifugal tendencies in our country,
but could be counter-productive to the reform agenda been driven by some patriotic elements in our party.
“The mere visit by the President and some government functionaries is not enough to suggest an attempt to Islamise the nation.

“Any divisive statement from any leaders of our party is condemnable and not in the best interest of Nigeria.”