I didn’t decamp to PDP, says former Adamawa governor

Former acting governor of Adamawa State, Ambassador James Barka has debunked allegation that he defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The rebuttal came on the heels of earlier media report that he has dumped the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) following a courtesy call to his residence by the State executives of the PDP.

Ambassador Barka, in a statement Thursday, denied leaving the APC, adding that he has also reassured his followers to remain with the party which he was a foundation member.

Barka who is a committee member of the Presidential Committee on North East Initiative (PCNI), said that he was a victim of impunity in the PDP in 2014, and does not see the reason for the returning to the party.

He described the news of his alleged defection as “fake”, assuring that more politicians would rather join the APC from other parties.

“So for me to contemplate leaving APC with all these, then I must be an insane person, so I have no course to leave APC, we are even going to gain more members from PDP.

“I am staying in APC because I believe in the transformation agenda of the President.

“There is no reason to go back to my former party, and I told them that I will get back to them after consultation. That to me was just a political statement, but now that the press has reported it, I will make this statement categorically that I am a bona fide member of the APC. I am not contemplating leaving the APC at all” Barka stressed.

He pointed out that Adamawa state has benefitted immensely from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari who has provided a lot of infrastructure to the state, stressing that Adamawa produced two Secretaries to the Federal Government (SGF) under his administration.

“Am remaining in APC because of the stride of the president, today I can drive to my home town without fear of being attacked.

To me the president has done excellently well, so I cannot defect to a party that has shown so much impunity to me and my followers in 2014; I am committed to APC and will remain in APC” Barka stated.