The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Shehu Gabam has accused the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello of window shopping All Progressives Congress members in the state as defacto SDP.
Gabam was speaking against the backdrop of reports that some Kogi SDP executives exited the ruling All Progressives Congress a few days ago.
Speaking exclusively to The PUNCH on Friday in Abuja, the chairman stated that there was no single SDP executive in the state that dumped the party, adding that those the Governor claimed to have exited the party were hired, and forced SDP identity on them because the party does not have a record of such people.
Recall The PUNCH reported how the zonal chairmen of the party in the three senatorial districts of Kogi State, barely a week, officially dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, along with all the party’s chairmen in the 21 local government areas of the state.
While bemoaning how people in authority concoct stories for cheap publicity, challenged the Governor to publish details and records of the purported defectees.
“There is no single executive in our record that defected, they went and hired some people and force them as SDPs that they are members, we didn’t have them in our records we don’t have them in our registers. I don’t know where he got them from.
“This is the era in which we are people in government in a responsible position to fabricate lies and seek very cheap publicity. As something that can be unveiled not to be true. I can’t be in a position of responsibility and tell a lie when I know that people will get to know me. I challenge him to publish their details, their zonal chairman where, and where what are their names?
“But this is the game, this is the country where leadership has fallen to the ground, and people at the helm of affairs are telling lies. And after all, if SDP is not a threat why would you go and do window shopping?
The chairman while underscoring that the SDP is increasing in membership argued that all their local and zonal executive are intact pointing out that they did the same caricature of the PDP, however, applauded the media for dismissing the report.
“The media has started publishing, debunking what he did, in fact, all our executives no one has defected. Most of the TV stations covered our World Press Conference and our members are intact, no single one has defected. So, those who he alleged have defected are those APC members that he paraded. So he retained his membership without any addition from the SDP.
“They did the same thing to PDP, I saw it, where they paraded them that they have defected to the APC, but if that is what they feel is good for them as leaders, I wish them good luck.
