A member of the House of Representatives, Suleiman Kwande, on Friday in Abuja said that he consulted with his constituents, elders and father before defecting from DPP to APC. Kwande had on Wednesday, Jan 22, announced his defection from DPP to APC.
However, on Jan. 23, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal read a letter from the National Chairman of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), retired Lt,- Gen. Jeremiah Useni, denouncing Kwande’s defection.
Useni said in the letter that the party had directed that the member should defect to PDP but took a unilatral decision to defect to APC.
“This is to inform you that he (Yahaya-Kwande), does not have my backing, he was directed to declare for the PDP and not APC,” Usenio wrote in the letter.
Kwande (APC-Plateau), however told newsmen in Abuja that whoever advised Useni to write that letter had misguided him.
“I consulted with my constituents, elders and biological father and they all advised me to move to the APC. I moved when my conscience told me to move,” he said.
He said that he was in the defunct ACN before the 2011 general elections and had to move to DPP because of “injustice” in the party.
“The irony is that I was actually in the ACN before the 2011 elections, two weeks before the election, I got muscled up and I defected to the DPP.
“I am in APC now; my mind has always been there, it is not new. I am comfortable with where I am mad my people are comfortable with where I am,”he said.
“My decision was based on my conviction. I obviously didn’t just jump into APC without consulting the people in my constituency. I am not going to join issues with him, but I think that the letter was in bad taste.
“For him to say that he directed me to move to the PDP and I moved to APC, I am not a major or captain that will be directed to do something, “he said.