New Telegraph

Aliyu’s conspiracy claim: It’s a lie; we didn’t work against Jonathan –Northern ex-governors

Former Governor of Benue State, Senator (Dr.) Gabriel Suswam, has dispelled allegations by his ex-Niger State colleague, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu that he was among People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governor’s that worked against ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary to former Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Alhaji Wahab Oba, said his boss was not part of the claim by Aliyu that 19 Northern governors agreed to stop the second term bid of Jonathan. Also, the Senior Special Adviser to the Former Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Arugungu, said that Governor Usman Saidu Dakingari was a committed, caring member of the PDP throughout his administration and couldn’t have worked against the ex-president.

Senator Suswam, who represents Benue North East in the Senate, expressed surprise that comments like that were coming from Aliyu. He described it as unfortunate. Suswam, who spoke through his Media aide, Mr. Bede Bartholomew, said it is unfortunate for Aliyu whom he knew as Permanent Secretary to say that. Bartholomew said: “Suswam knew Aliyu when he was permanent secretary before he became governor of Niger State. “He (Suswam) and Aliyu also served as governors during the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

“He was one of those governor’s, who the APC campaigned highly against because they knew his closeness to the former president. “So, it’s unfortunate, if it is true that the statement is coming from the person of Babangida Aliyu. “The two politicians (Suswam and Aliyu) are very close and so if Suswam had worked against Jonathan, it means Babangida Aliyu too worked against Jonathan, but the issue again is why didn’t he talk about it that time? “The last time he (Aliyu) came into Benue was when he attended the just concluded PDP North Central elective congresses where he slept in the private residence of Senator Suswam in Makurdi.

“So, we want to believe it is the handiwork of mischief makers, who want to capitalise on the closeness of Suswam and Aliyu to Goodluck Jonathan to lock their heads and cause a crisis between them. “It is not true, what Aliyu is saying is not true and it can never be true because up till now, Suswam maintains a good relationship with Jonathan.” Oba also denied the allegation that his boss, Ahmed, was of those who worked against Jonathan in 2015, having defected to the APC from the PDP at the time. He said that that would have been the plot of PDP governors, which the APC governors were never part of. “During the time in question, His Excellency, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, was already in the All Progressives Congress (APC), and couldn’t have been part of the said decision.

“He already made up his mind to go with then Gen. Muhammad Buhari; thank God that the result of his membership of APC was total victory for the party.” Meanwhile, Arugungu said that Governor Dakingari was a committed, caring member of the PDP throughout his administration and as such couldn’t have been part of that plot.

He stated this yesterday while speaking with one of our correspondents on the telephone, adding that Dakingari has never betrayed the party as credited to Aliyu. He said: “We dissociate ourselves from the claim made by the former Niger State Governor that all the former governors agreed to stop President Goodluck Jonathan. “It is not true, Dakingari is not among,” adding, “throughout Dakingari eight years of his administration, the PDP was stronger in the state than now and he has been supportive.”

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