FACED with internal crisis, many members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have joined the newly formed Peoples Mega Party (PMP), which inaugurated its new national administrative headquarters in Abuja, on Tuesday.

National chairman of the party, Chief Perry Opara, who made the claim, said the party had resisted attempts by moneybags from other political parties to hijack the party.

PMP is seeking registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as one of the recognised political parties in the country.

The PMP leader also declared that some members of the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had made similar advances to the PMP.

Opara said: “Five days ago, a group of PDP members came here to say they are defecting to the PMP.

“PDP professionals’ forum has also declared for the PMP, while some aggrieved members of PDP stakeholders forum in Abuja also defected to the PMP.”

According to him, the initial outing of the party in Abuja, some rich politicians had been approaching the party leaders with tempting offers to take over the party.

He told them, however, that the party was not for sale as the vision behind its formation was to have a platform that young Nigerians could use to contest elective offices in future.

Chief Opara pointed out that one of the major attractions of the new party which differentiated it from others was its policy of bottom-top approach that gave ownership of the party to the people at the lowest level.

Speaking on  the issue of high nomination fees charged by political parties in the country, Opara said: “We are going to reduce the cost of elections so that young professionals can have opportunity to contest.”

He assured that the “hidden powers and individuals behind the PMP will be unveiled in the next seven weeks,” to put to rest speculations over the sponsors of the new party.

In his remarks on the occasion, chairman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the party, Alhaji Husseini Abubakar, commended the national chairman of the party for resisting attempts by some moneybags to buy over the party.

He said: “Chief Perry Opara would not want moneybags to hijack the party. Many have been coming, but he has been turning them down.”

Tribune…..

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