Atiku, others are ingrates – PDP national secretary

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