Senator Abandons ANPP For PDP   

Senator Mohammed Bello, last week stunned political watchers in Kano when he defected from All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. The surprise was not in his exit from a party he presided over as a caretaker committee chairman in 2004, but in his choice of PDP. Many had thought that he would join the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, owing to his perceived loyalty to General Muhammadu Buhari. Senator Bello, a stalwart of Malam Ibrahim Shekarau’s government fell out with the ANPP leadership when it became clear to him that his ambition to succeed Shekarau as governor was not feasible within the party.

Speaking to newsmen at his country home shortly after he was received by the leadership of PDP penultimate Thursday, he denied dumping ANPP because of his political aspiration, insisting that he decided on PDP because, to him, the party has greater chances of winning elections in 2011.

“What has happened in essence is that they have already weakened the ANPP. So, the moment they weakened the ANPP, they succeeded in strengthening the position of the PDP in Kano. Look at the statistics at the last polls: the ANPP won by about 40,000 votes while in the 2003 polls, we won by over 200,000 votes. But today, supporters of the PDP are all back to the fold. The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, that registered 180,000 votes is back to the PDP. So if you make a simple mental calculation, you would observe that the PDP has won the elections even before they are conducted.Reacting to Bello’s defection, ANPP secretary in Kano, Comrade Rabiu Bako, described it as unfortunate.