The Bayelsa chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described Sen. Nimi Amange’s claim of defecting from PDP to APC as mischievous.
Sen. Amange represented Bayelsa East Senatorial District, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Constituency from 2007 to 2011.
He had in a letter to the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, made available to newsmen, on Thursday, said that he had resigned his membership of his former party to join APC, ahead of the Nov. 16 governorship poll in Bayelsa.
He had claimed that he left PDP because of Gov. Seriake Dickson’s “unilateral style of leadership.”
However, reacting to Amange’s defection in a statement issued in Yenagoa, the state Chairman of PDP, Mr. Moses Cleopas, disclosed that the former Senator had ceased to be a member of the PDP long before his recent defection.
He explained that the former lawmaker left before the last National Assembly, NASS, elections in February when he defected from PDP to African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Cleopas, therefore described Amange’s claim as an “unfortunate and mischievous attempt to create false impression of an implosion within a party that is stable.”
He insisted that the PDP family in Bayelsa did not see Amange as a member of the party after his defection to ADC early this year.
His statement read in part: “There is a misleading report that Amange has defected from PDP to APC.
“The fact is that Amange is not a member of our party. He defected from PDP to ADC to contest against us in the February NASS election and lost.
“Sen. Amange is not a PDP leader and the public should discountenance this misleading claim.
“This unfortunate claim is part of a calculated attempt to create an erroneous impression of an implosion in a party that is stable.
“PDP in the state knows those who are genuine members. Amange is not one of us and he should desist from misinforming the public with the intent to cause mischief.”