A former federal lawmaker from Edo North, Francis Alimikhena, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined forces with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This development comes a week before the September 21 gubernatorial race in Edo State.
A Chieftain of the APC in the Etsako West Local Government Area, Zibiri Muhammed, confirmed the Senator’s new political move to newsmen on Saturday.
“Yes, Senator Alimikhena is now a member of the APC. So, he has joined the APC and will officially decamp today.
“Alimikhena would be received by the National Chairman of our party, Abdullahi Ganduje, at our grand finale rally at the UNIBEN sports complex,” he told The PUNCH.
Muhammed mentioned that the ex-senator travels with leaders from a different political party to a campaign event.
Alimikhena, who was elected to the Senate twice while representing the APC, switched his allegiance to the PDP after his defeat in the senatorial race for Edo North to Senator Adams Oshiomhole during the primary election for the 2023 general election.
He subsequently joined the PDP and ran in the National Assembly election but was unsuccessful in defeating Oshiomhole.
In other news, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Iliya Damagum, has claimed that former senator Dino Melaye is responsible for some of the party’s crises.
He raised concerns about internal party loyalty, citing Melaye’s actions during the recent Kogi gubernatorial election.
During an interview with Daily Trust, Damagum addressed remarks made by Melaye, who had referred to the PDP as a “once upon a time party.
The PDP Chairman questioned Melaye’s role in allegedly harming the party’s image, stating that anyone given the party’s platform has a responsibility to uplift its fortunes.
“Let me remind you about that statement credited to Dino. He’s part of the problem. Why? Because he ran for governor in Kogi State and didn’t even vote for himself. Put that on record: he didn’t go out to vote in his own election.
”Even as the candidate. So, I’ll leave it to you to judge based on that. Who’s really damaging the party? If the party is generous enough to give you its platform to run, you have a duty to improve its fortunes. Yes, you can win or lose, but at least lose credibly if you must,” Damagum said.