The former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has said he will remain in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP even if he did not get the presidential ticket in 2023.
While responding to questions on Arise News on Tuesday, Saraki dismissed the possibility of returning to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He said he would remain in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2023, insisting that he is a team player who wants the best for the country.
Saraki said, “On the question that if I decide to run and don’t get the ticket, would I defect? I think that is not really fair. In 2015, I ran for the presidency and didn’t get it, but I offered myself to be the DG of Atiku, and I worked hard.
“I’m a team player; personal ambition is not what the issue is today; what is important is to get this country right. I have my children and grandchildren, and we must leave a better country with jobs for our talented youths. The fact that I said some people would defect does not mean I would defect.”
The former Governor of Kwara State spoke on the possibility of running for the presidency in 2023, saying he would address the issue at the right time because he is currently focused on building a strong party and country.
“What is important for any PDP member who truly loves the party and cares for the country is to have a party first.
“One of the reasons I took the responsibility of the National Reconciliation Committee was because there was a concern that the party was losing a lot of steam. Without a strong party, you can’t meet your individual ambition.
“As about last year, some individuals have already talked about their ambition for 2023, and I said it can’t be about ambition now, but we need to build a strong party.
“So, the focus for me now is for us to build a strong party, and we have started the process in our congresses, reconciliation, and hopefully the convention.
“After we have put that in place, then we can start talking about individual interests. In due time I would love to respond when I’m ready,” he expressed.
Notable APC members will soon defect to PDP: Saraki
In the same vein, the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki has said that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, will soon defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He stressed that some PDP members had also defected to APC in recent times.
Saraki said that State governors like Ben Ayade of Cross River, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, have defected to the ruling party.
He added that political bigwigs do not usually defect at an early stage, saying some top APC chieftains would deflect towards the 2023 general elections.
“We are expecting defections from the ruling party. If you follow politics, you will understand that some of the big players don’t defect early; they defect very late in the game; so just keep watching,” Saraki said.
