*As Mimiko assures of party’s victory in S/west states
By Lawrence Olaoye
Benue state Governor, Gabriel Suswam, yesterday debunked the claim that some governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have perfected plans to defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 general election.
This is just as the Ondo state Governor who just entered into the ruling PDP, Olusegun Mimiko, assured that Lagos and other states in the South west would be won by his party at the oncoming poll.
Suswam, who was reacting to the claim made by the Kano state Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that more PDP governors would dump the party for the APC, said the opposition was merely hallucinating.
“It is unfortunate that the APC has continued to speculate. They don’t have confidence in themselves. So, they keep speculating that PDP governors will join them. If I’m sure of myself, I won’t be calling for added troops from the enemy’s camp to come.
“They know they will not win until the PDP joins them even now with the strength they have. Kwankwaso was elected on the platform of the PDP. He has added value, so to speak to the APC. They now discovered lately that in spite of that, they can’t make any progress and so they are now speculating and hoping against hope. It’s not going to happen; none of the PDP governors is going to the APC. Take that from me.
“He didn’t mention me but no governor from PDP, rather we are having people who started PDP, who are very strong like Iroko coming back to join the family they left for sometime. We are going to defeat them roundly during the election. They are trying to convince Nigerians that PDP is going to add to them but nobody, not even a councillor, is leaving PDP to join the APC.”
Commenting on the fortunes of the PDP in the South west, Mimiko said “the inroad (into the South west) had already been made. Ekiti is now in the PDP fold. Ondo is now completely in the PDP’s fold and I can see most states coming into the PDP fold. There is no question about the facts that the PDP is gaining more in the South West. I am thinking now that with the configuration on the ground, apart from Osun that is already won by the APC, I think it would be very difficult for the APC to hold on to any state in the South west.”
