Ahmed Abubakar, the National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Movement, says the party is not a branch of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Abubakar disclosed this on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
According to him, the PDM is a registered political party, different from the PDP.
Abubakar said: “Ours is a political party, while there is an existing association in PDP called PDM.
“So they are distinguished by their status.
“I left PDP since 2006 and I have never gone back to the party.
“So, our party is not the branch of the ruling party.”
The Publicity Secretary said the party’s membership registration exercise, held from March 17 to March 25, was a huge success.
Abubakar said that the large turnout of people during the exercise in many states was an indication that the party was acceptable to the people.
He said: “Nigerians turned out in large numbers to register for the party in almost all the states of the federation except Ekiti and Kogi, where many members defected to the All Progressives Congress.
“Compare the performance in the two states with that of others, I can say the exercise was more than 70 per cent successful.”
Abubakar attributed the poor performance in the two states to defection to other parties, but noted that the party had been receiving new members after the exercise in other states.
He said: “I am in touch with the interim chairmen of the party in other states and the party receives members of other political parties defecting to PDM.
“In Kebbi State, the party chairman told me that as early as 9am, large members of other political parties were in his office to register with us.
“Similar reports are coming in from other states.
“This is to show that our party is truly a party of the people.”
On the Ekiti State governorship poll, Abubakar said the party was yet to decide if it would contest the election.
He said that the decision would be made after the party’s National Executive Committee meeting.
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