We didn’t ask PDP members to defect — Makarfi

The Chairman of the controversial Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmed Makarfi, has debunked a media report that his faction advised members of the party to defect to another party in order to realise their political ambitions.

Makarfi, in a statement issued on Wednesday, noted that the claim that he directed people in Lagos to defect to the Advanced Peoples Democratic Party was far from the truth.

The former Kaduna State governor said he had faith in the judiciary to deliver the right judgment on the leadership crisis rocking the party.

The statement partly read, “Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper’s headline which stated that we advised and directed people to defect (to another party). The headline is different from the story’s content.

“It became necessary we issue this statement because of wild rumours circulating, including high activities in the social media that we directed people in Lagos to vote APDA, which we never did. Also that of Governor Ayodele Fayose removing the PDP banners.

“Our statement was clear that we are in court and have faith in the judiciary. We are also aware that the PDP is being disenfranchised in some elections and that different states have adopted different approaches to the issue without prejudice to the substantive matter before the court. It should be noted that we, at the national level, have never asked anyone to defect to another party.”