The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Walid Jibrin, has said the 2023 political ambition of former House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, was responsible for his exit from the PDP.
Dogara dumped the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress last week.
Commenting on the move in a statement in Abuja on Monday, the PDP BoT chairman said he received the news of the exit of the former Speaker with mixed feelings noting that Dogara failed to explore the conflict resolution mechanisms available within the PDP before deciding to leave.
He said, “I am sorry for Dogara for not adhering to all avenues available in the party constitution for settlement of disputes or complaints by a member of the party.
“Considering the serious reasons given by Dogara for decamping, one is compelled to say that Mr Dogara has other strong reasons for leaving the PDP.
“I’m beginning to suspect that the former speaker has an underground motive for joining the APC. I begin to suspect that Mr Dogara has a plan of becoming President or Vice President in 2023 which he knows he will never achieve in the PDP.
“I want to assure the former speaker that PDP shall continue to be very strong and united and its doors remain open to all Nigerians. Therefore, the PDP will never accept any plan from anybody to destroy the party.”
Jibrin also said there are plans by the party to visit Edo State to strengthen the Governor Godwin Obaseki campaign train ahead of the September 19 governorship election in the state.