The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday claimed that he has not being briefed on the recent defection of some governors from the party to the All Progressive Congress, APC.

Tukur told newsmen after a closed door meeting with the PDP Senate caucus and the Central Working Committee of the party that the rebel governors are still members of the ruling party.

Aggrieved members of the PDP in the Senate such as Bukola Saraki, Shaaba Lafiaji, Wilson Ake, Danjuma Goje, Ali Ndume, Adamu Abdullahi, Magnus Abe, Hassan Barata, Jubrin Bindo and Aishat Al-Hassan, did not show up in the meeting which lasted for some hours.

Tukur added that they did not discuss the defection of some governors from the party during the meeting because it was a family talk aimed at reviewing the activities of the party.

He said, "We did not talk about people who want to go or stay (defection). I came here because this is the first time I am coming to meet my family members; they are my members."

When asked if it was an earlier visit to the National Assembly by the defunct New PDP that informed his decision to meet the Senators, he replied, "Of course not, this is PDP and there is no other PDP."

Also asked whether he discussed the impact of the defection of five PDP governors to the All Progressives Congress, Tukur said, "Have they defected? They have not gone yet."

The five governors who defected are Rotimi Amechi (Rivers); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto).