The immediate past Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, yesterday announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) citing the party’s ‘loss of focus’ as reason.
The PDP, he told journalists by phone, lacks what it takes to develop Nigeria.
He said he would not be fair to himself and his supporters who voted him as governor if he continued being in the PDP.
He described goings on in the party as contrary to the doctrines of his Islamic religion.
Yuguda said: “As from today, I have resigned my membership of the PDP because of personal reasons. I have had enough troubles in the party.”
He added, “PDP is no longer the party that can give Nigerians the kind of future they are looking for. I have given serious thought to what has been happening in the party, what has happened to me and what has happened also to our country at large and I felt it will only be wise for me to quit the party.
“Looking back at what happened in the country under the PDP, if I continue staying in the party, I will not be fair not only to myself but to my teeming Bauchi supporters who gave me the mandate to serve them for eight years as Governor.”
He did not say what he is up to next.
He merely said: “I have neither joined APC and my people have not advised me to do so nor have I quit politics. All I am saying is that I will rest for a while and make consultations with my friends and associates, if they ask me to quit politics, I will quit but if they ask me to continue, I will continue.”
He said he has told his associates and supporters that he “will not force them to leave PDP. Anybody that wants to remain in PDP is free to do so and whoever wants to move with me is welcome.”
Many of his supporters wasted no time in tearing their PDP membership cards yesterday after hearing what he said.
Yuguda had been quiet since his former party was routed at the federal level and in most of the states it controlled, in last year’s elections
Before his election as governor in 2007 on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), he had served as Aviation Minister in the Obasanjo Administration.
He had hoped to succeed the then governor of the state, Mallam Ahmed Mua’zu, only to be denied the PDP ticket.
Yuguda then moved to the ANPP and defeated the PDP candidate.
He returned to the PDP on April 14th 2009.