The Peoples Democratic Party has welcomed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, back to its fold.
It also described his return as a courageous response to the party’s call on compatriots to rally with it and rescue Nigeria.
Recall that Dogara had last week, through his aides, collected the PDP nomination and expression of interest forms.
Though he had yet to officially announce his defection from the All Progressives Congress, his action was, however, seen as his return to the PDP from where he defected to the APC in 2014.
The PDP described Dogara’s decision to abandon the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC as a patriotic and nationalistic move.
It added that his action demonstrated that he was a statesman, who was committed to the progress of our nation, particularly at this trying time.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, that the PDP was proud of the way the Speaker conducted the affairs of the House.
He said, “Dogara’s move is reflective of the wishes and aspirations of his larger constituency and in tandem with the determination of Nigerians across board to rally on the platform of the repositioned PDP to vote out the incompetent, divisive and corrupt APC administration, which has caused untold harm to our nation in the last three years.
“Dogara has continued to conduct the affairs of the House of Representatives with the highest level of commitment, resulting in a very productive legislature under his leadership, despite the unmitigated efforts by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to distract him.
“Furthermore, the return of Dogara and other leaders who had earlier left our fold is a clear testament that the issues that led to their exit in the first place have all been addressed under the repositioned and rebranded PDP.”
Ologbondiyan further stated that the alleged patriotic action of Dogara and other leaders who left the APC had further strengthened the surging hope by Nigerians “ as they collectively rally on the platform of the PDP to rescue our nation from the misrule of the APC and return her to the path of national cohesion, peace and economic prosperity for which our party is known.”
He added that Dogara’s return would be a pointer to the victory of the PDP in 2019 in both Bauchi State governorship election and at the Federal level, noting that his huge electoral value would contribute immensely to the return of PDP to power at all levels.
