By Our Reporter
A stakeholder of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, Yusuf Bello, has called on members in other parties to emulate the former member of the Taraba State House of Assembly, representing Bali 1, Hon. Ken Kaigama and return to the party.
He told newsmen in Garba Chede, Bali LGA on Saturday that the move Hon. Kaigama was a step in the right direction.
“The former lawmaker is a respected politician. He left the PDP and later came back to the party he rightly belongs to. We expect other members in other parties to return.
“The PDP has a big umbrella to accommodate all members and we want them to come back home,” he said.
According to him, the time has come for members to be more united in the task of returning to the centre in 2027.
Bello said that members in Bali are happy with Hon Kaigama’s return and believed that other “big names” would emulate him.
“His returned is not only a blessing to the party in Bali, but also to the state and the country at large. I am appealing to the leaders of our party and the governor to accommodate and embrace him, ” he noted.
Speaking to journalists shortly after he commissioned the PDP office he rented and donated to his ward, Hon. Kaigama said he returned to PDP because the PDP represents a broader platform and that the All Progressive Congress (APC) and other opposition parties in Taraba state are “docile”.
According to him, the “docile nature” of the opposition has forced many of their members to defect to PDP.
He said “despite touting itself as the ruling party at the center, the APC has lost its bearing as the major opposition party in Taraba
Mr Kaigama who contested the House of Representatives seat under the platform SDP, to represent Gassol/Bali constituency in the last election said, “Since the APC and other political parties lost in the last election, they became irrelevant in the state.
“The APC in Taraba does not understand the role of the opposition and has since been struggling to survive amidst leadership crisis
“The APC being the party ruling at the center is supposed to lead a formidable opposition structure in the state to engage the government in constructive criticism.
“Yes, the PDP have been ruling the state since the inception of democracy in 1999, that doesn’t mean that the other political parties should not speak when things are not right.
“People should not wait to showcase themselves as opposition only during elections, checking and engaging government with objective criticisms is also part of opposition,” he said.
“The silent of the APC and other political parties in the state is causing them a lot, they are losing membership, public support and sympathy
“Since the opposition is not serious in the state, I felt their is the need for me as a young man to return to my former party, and see how we can assist the governor in bringing development to the state, instead of staying outside with politicians that are not serious in the development of the state, but only in fighting for power during elections.
“So I’m back, first of all, to continue to serve the party and contribute my quota to the progress and success of the PDP administration at all levels.
“My decision to return to the party has started yielding results, as you can see I just donated an office accommodation for the PDP youth vanguard in my ward
“My coming to PDP will bring me closer to my people because they have lost faith in the opposition.” Mr Kaigama said.