The Peoples Democratic Party says the former Vice President,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and other aggrieved members of the party are
ingrates.
The PDP also said it is not moved by the recent moves of the All
Progressives Congress to woo some of its governors into the fold of
the opposition party.
PDP National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, stated these on Saturday
while speaking at the Reunion Rally organised by the Ogun State
chapter of the party for its members in Ogun West Senatorial District
in Idiroko, Ipokia Local Government Area, where about 6,000 members of
the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Labour Party defected to
the party.
Oladipo, who was reacting to the reported claims by Abubakar that it
took him and his allies only four months to hatch the plot that
resulted in the current crisis in the PDP, argued that the former vice
president had bitten the finger that fed him.
The PDP national secretary said it was “unthinkable” that Abubakar
and his allies, who had benefitted so much from their membership of the
ruling party, would not only turn their back on their benefactor but
also plot its downfall.
He however stressed that contrary to their expectations, the PDP would
not disintegrate, adding that the party had left Abubakar and his
allies to Nigerians and God to judge.
Oladipo said, “As far as the South West is concerned, you can see that
PDP is waxing stronger by the day, particularly since the last mini
congress of the South West that we had in Ibadan. I don’t want to
over-dramatise the situation. The PDP has not fallen and will not
fall. But as for what His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said, I
would still love to believe that he was misquoted. In case he was not
misquoted, and if we believe what the press reported that the plot to
split the PDP was hatched actually four months bedfore our last
mini-convention, that will be most unfortunate for someone of his
status within the party.
“But you’ll recollect that there was a time he was away from the PDP
and he came back. So, I don’t want to join issues with an elderly
Nigerian but for people who have had the opportunity to benefit from
this party to be plotting against the party, I think I will leave it
for Nigerians to just decide what they think of such human beings. If
God had been merciful to you through the PDP to become a governor, to
become a vice president of this country and if you still believe that
the best way to repay the party is to plot its downfall, God is not
like us, His ways are not our ways. God doesn’t compensate goodness
with evil. I’m sure PDP will not fail, PDP will not split, PDP will
not fall, PDP will move from strength to strength. PDP will continue
to provide purposeful leadership for this country, particularly under
the able leadership of our transformation president, Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan.”
The PDP National Secretary also said that the party was not bothered
by the recent intensified efforts being made by the APC to woo some of
its governors.
He described the APC as a party that lacked any clear-cut ideology.
“If these people (APC) want to poach our governors, it means that they
are not serious; that they feel that they are inadequate. We don’t
need to poach, we’ll take our case to the good people of this country.
Our president is performing, we are sure that his performance will
earn him a another term in office. I’m sure that when he would have
run his two terms that the PDP will continue to rule this country for
the foreseeable future. So, we are not moved by that. All those
governors who are authentic PDP members will only receive them out of
courtesy and send them away. But those who want to go with them, if
there is any who want to go with them, goodluck to them,” Oladipo
said.
Also receiving the defectors into the PDP in Ogun, the financier of
the party who doubles as the Chairman of its Organization and
Mobilization Committee for the South West Zone, Prince Buruji Kashamu
assured the new members that they would be carried along in the scheme
of things.
Kashamu stressed that they would be properly accommodated and
integrated into the party, tasking them to join in the struggle to
retrieve their mandate from the incumbent Governor Ibikunle Amosun in
the 2015 election.
“Don’t allow anyone to deceive you. Our state belongs to us. They
missed their way into Ogun State and whether they like it or not, they
must run out. It’s time we retrieved our mandate, whether they like it
or not,” he said.
Punch
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