Ribadu, Fani-Kayode celebrate PDP split on Twitter

According to Punch, Some prominent Nigerians have taken to social media to celebrate a major crisis
which rocked the ruling Peoples Democratic Party on Saturday.

Seven governors and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had formed a faction of the party after they stormed out of the its convention in Abuja.

A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, described the development as "good for democracy'', saying the breakaway governors and party members have demonstrated "courage.''

He also advised the members and leaders of the faction, who he labelled as "dissenters", to join the newly formed All Progressives Congress, if they genuinely have the interest of the masses at heart to save Nigeria. He tweeted, "What happened at the PDP Convention today is good for democracy. It has exposed the internal contradictions that characterise the PDP.

The governors and other chieftains have demonstrated courage and damn the "it's-PDP-or-nothing myth" that has held the party together. "I hope the dissenters will look beyond their immediate interests in deepening our nascent democracy. Opportunities do exist beyond PDP.

Change, when it comes, cracks everything open. Change is in the air!'' Controversial former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, also justified his recent move from the ruling party to the APC.

He stated on Twitter that he had foreseen the current crisis, prompting his decision to dump the PDP. "A few months ago I said the PDP was a sinking ship and I got the usual insults. Now, with the new Atiku faction, it has finally sunk. RIP, PDP!'' Fani-Kayode said.

However, Atiku and one of his sons, Mustapha, appear to be on different sides of the divide in the ongoing crisis. While Atiku said on Facebook that his faction broke away from the Bamanga Tukur-led leadership of the party to restore the values of its founding fathers, Mustapha has noted that he wants the "destruction" of both factions of the party.

On Facebook, Atiku had stated, "I have said it before, and I am saying it again: we are going in the wrong direction. I will therefore want to appeal to the rest of our party members who are still sitting on the fence to join this new PDP. "I want to assure you that we will restore the values of the founding fathers of this party. Let me thank all of you for the courage and support to stand up.

By the grace of God, with your support, with your loyalty, change will be achieved." But Mustapha, who said he is happy for the first time to be a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Movement, which his father confirmed that his friends founded, said, "I'm obviously confident about the establishment of this house (PDM). I hope my friends will see in it what they don't see in other parties." On Sunday he tweeted, "New PDP, old PDP, bla bla... I don't care. I'm just happy seeing its destruction.

The death of PDP is coming and I cannot wait for it.'' Meanwhile, some Nigerians have also lent their voices to the PDP crisis. While some are of the opinion that the internal wrangling may fetch the country positive things, others expressed fear that it could lead to distractions on the part of the Presidency, while the masses will be on the receiving end.

A reader on punchng.com, Ajayi Olupona, opined that the disagreement between the members of the party may be a turning point for it to undergo some transformation which will lead to the fulfilment of the aspirations of Nigerians.

The reader wrote, "God is beginning to answer the prayers of millions of poverty-ridden Nigerians just like the prayers of Jews went before God while in the house of bondage in Egypt!''

Also, a Facebook user, Dahiru Adamu, did not spare the party his anger over the way and manner it is managing its affairs and, by extension, the affairs of the nation. He said, "The PDP has already fatally failed the nation as a ruling party, and it is now failing itself by itself! Now we can count the President's faction of the PDP, governors' faction and while waiting for the chairmen's faction of the party!''