A former Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, must have felt used and dumped on Tuesday as chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, including its presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, whom he dutifully served as his administration’s mouthpiece, took turns to lambast him for defecting to the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
The Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Sen. Ahmadu Ali, who opened the floodgate of disparaging words that were to come for Maku, described the ex-minister as a “dangerous boy”.
Ali, who stated this at the PDP presidential rally in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, explained that the former minister had benefited from the PDP-led Federal Government only to defect to another party to realise his governorship ambition.
He said Maku’s action was capable of dividing the votes that could have been garnered by PDP candidates in Nasarawa State in the Feb. 14 and 28 general elections.
“We have a young man who from nowhere was a Deputy Governor of this state for four years, from nowhere he was made a Minister at the federal level for six years, decided to leave the party for another party and keep telling lies that by being in that party, he is helping us.
“He is only going there to reduce our votes. He is a dangerous boy.
“We must make sure that now that he has shown his colour, he will continue failing for the rest of his life unless he retraces his steps back to the elders like us and we will forgive him”.
Ali then urged the electorate in the state to vote for Jonathan and other candidates of the party at both federal and state levels
In his remarks, the president also denied lending any form of support to Maku’s gubernatorial aspiration under the platform of APGA.
The ex-minister had in several public fora, claimed that his defection to APGA had the president’s blessing, who also allegedly promised to ensure his (Maku) victory.
But Jonathan said lending such a support to the former minister would amount to anti-party behaviour.
He, therefore, expressed his support for all the PDP candidates in the state in the Feb.14 and 28 general elections.
“We are told and everybody spoke about that the former Minister of Information that is in another party and saying that it is the President who asked him to go to another party. Definitely I cannot play anti-party.
“PDP is my party and all those who want to help us should come to PDP and work for PDP, so that PDP will be in control of Nasarawa State so that government of PDP in Nasarawa State and the Federal Government that will be in the hands of PDP can work together to move Nasarawa State forward”.
Also speaking, Senate President David Mark urged Maku to desist from dropping President Jonathan’s name in his quest to achieve his political ambition.
He advised the former minister to apologise to the PDP “if he is willing to return to the party”, saying that the PDP would wholeheartedly accept him into its fold.
“People of Nasarawa State don’t be deceived by any ungrateful son of yours, who goes round saying he is in another political party because Mr President has put him there.
“That is absolute lie, you must never believe it. We said so few days ago and we are emphasising it again.
“And we want to emphasise it; (the) President is body and soul PDP.
“He can’t, therefore, put somebody in another political party to be campaigning on behalf of another political party.
“How can you be in APGA and be campaigning for the PDP presidential candidate?
“Return to PDP with apology because before we even take him he has to apologise to all the good people in PDP”.