There were celebrations in Yola, Adamawa state capital on Saturday evening when news filtered that the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, has dumped the opposition All Progressives Congress [APC] and joined the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP],as he picked his membership card.
Mr. Ribadu was the presidential candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] in 2011 and until his defection today considered one of the APC topnotchers in the 2015 presidential election race.
Both supporters and a members of the executive committee of the PDP in Bako, Mr. Ribadu’s ward in Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa state, had confirmed that that the anti-corruption chief has been registered as a member of the party and given a party membership card.
Alhaji Isa Ibrahim Toungo chairman of a pressure group, Concerned Youth for Good Governance in Adamawa state a PDP Pressure group supporting Rinadu’s candidature revealed that Ribadu has since registered at Bako with registration Number 1933795.
He said that Mr. Ribadu is expected to publicly declare for governorship under PDP either on Monday or Tuesday.
Already, Acting Governor Umaru Fintiri and Awwal Tukur, a son of former chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, have picked the notice of intent form to seek the PDP governorship nomination for the election. A former military administrator of Lagos state, Buba Marwa, has also indicated interest in running.
Efforts to speak with Mr. Ribadu or his spokesperson, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off.