Yaman denies defection rumour, says he remains a PDP member

Alhaji Shuaib Yaman, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections, has dismissed reports circulating online suggesting that he is planning to return to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the claim as unfounded and completely without basis.

Yaman, in a statement responding to a recent social media post purportedly welcoming him back to the APC, wondered why anyone would be welcoming him to a political party he has neither joined nor expressed any intention of joining.

He stated unequivocally that he remains a member of the PDP and has not renounced his membership of the party or communicated any decision to leave it.

“It is curious that people would go as far as welcoming someone back to a party he has not joined and from which he has never announced any intention of joining.

“I remain a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. I have not resigned from the PDP, neither have I communicated to anyone any decision to leave the party. Therefore, I find the purported welcome unnecessary and misleading.”

The former PDP governorship candidate advised political actors and their supporters to desist from manufacturing stories capable of creating unnecessary confusion within the political space.

He noted that political differences and debates are normal in a democracy, but they should not be built around rumours, assumptions or deliberate misrepresentation of individuals and their political affiliations.

Yaman reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP and urged his supporters, party members and the general public to disregard the purported defection narrative, describing it as nothing more than speculation.

He maintained that if there is ever a decision to change his political affiliation, such a decision would be communicated by him personally and unambiguously.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I am in the PDP. I have not left the PDP, and I have not announced any plan to leave. Any contrary claim should therefore be treated for what it is; speculation,” he said.

He called on the public to rely on verified statements from political actors rather than social media graphics and posts designed to create impressions that have no foundation in fact.