Alahji Isa Yuguda’s political gyrations have in the past attracted plaudit and disapprovals.

By Suzan Edeh

Since the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2015 general election, the party has continued to lose grip with its support base arising from the spate of defections hitting the party.

The latest big name to exit the party is the erstwhile governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Isa Yuguda who left the party on the allegation that the party has lost touch with its supporters and had dirtied itself in the alleged arms procurement fund which was supposedly used to fund the last election.

*Yuguda

The former governor’s exit has also been traced to the crisis in the state executive of the party which has led to a division between the chairman, Ibrahim Yaro Yaro and secretary, Sama’ila Burga on one hand arising and the other members of the state exco. The two party officials were reportedly given 12 hours to reply to a query on the alleged abuse of office.

However, before the expiration of the 12 hour ultimatum, Yaro Yaro announced the suspension of some members of the state executive. The exco in turn quickly suspended the chairman and the secretary and appointed Alhaji Musa Haruna Shitu as acting state chairman and Barrister Mukhtar Abubakar as acting state secretary.

He alleged that the funds generated from the sale of forms for the last election were yet to be accounted for.

Besides the crisis at the state level, Yuguda was also said not to be comfortable with the election of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the new national chairman of the party. A source in the state PDP, the emergence of Sheriff did not go well with Yuguda’s political calculations and hence the conviction for him to leave the party.

There were allegations that Yuguda had earlier planned his exit from the party to the All Progressives Congress, APC before the 2015 general election but was not welcomed by party stalwarts who did not trust him especially given his avowed loyalty to President GoodLuck Jonathan at that time.

However, Yuguda to douse speculations surrounding his exit from the party organized a press conference in which he openly declare his resignation from the party.

Finally on April 23, Yuguda surreptitiously left the PDP announcing his plans during a 30 telephone conference with journalists in Bauchi.

The governor said he was no longer comfortable with the style of leadership of the party, stressing that he was not retiring from partisan politics.

“I do not believe I should continue to be a member of the PDP because the party cannot deliver to Nigerians the kind of future they long for and I have my other personal reasons for leaving the party which I cannot give you the details for now”

“I also wish to state that am not leaving politics, but I will like to use this period to hold consultations with colleagues on the way forward. I also want you to know that I am not going to APC as some people are wrongly insinuating, but I will discuss with my colleagues and I am sure they will advise me on which party to join.”

The former governor commended President Buhari for bringing the needed change in the country and urged the leadership of the APC to continue to carry the citizens along in all its policies and programmes for the nation. As it stands, reactions has continued to trail the exit of Yuguda from the party.

A PDP chieftain in Bauchi Abdulrazaq Nuhu Zaki said the exit of the former governor would not affect the fortune of the party in the state. He said it was a welcomed development that will rather bring unity of the party in the state, rather than tearing the party apart. “Yuguda leaving the PDP has come as a  welcome development. With his exit, a huge yoke has been lifted off the neck of PDP in the state. The party was engulfed by crisis that tore it apart  into factions by the leaders  who want to take control of the party in the state “

Zaki who represented Ningi Warji Constituency in the House of Representatives in the 7th Assembly, urged members of the party to remain resolute towards rebuilding the party towards Victory.