Why do you want to be National Chairman of the PDP?
The PDP has a vision and a mission on why it came to be. So much had been done to take it to every nook and cranny of this country in order to make it the party of choice for Nigerians. So much has also been done to sustain it but in the last few years, it has been brutalised; it has been sabotaged and of course there is a very worrisome devaluation of the party. We believe that at this point, it doesn’t make sense to stand idly by and be watching. It’s just like when you have a baby and the baby is dying of a certain ailment, which it has been properly diagnosed of and requires cure. I believe this is the appropriate time to move in and take over the leadership of the party by the grace of God, so that from within, we can turn things around and transform it so that we can do those things that needed to be done. At the end of the day, we would be able to get the party back to the people. There are three basic problems in the party: Lack of internal democracy, disorientation and, of course, a terrible image acquired as a result of acts of commission and omission on the part of the leadership. We believe that at this point, there is the need to restore the dignity of the party. There is the need at this point to broaden the base of political participation so that there will be inclusiveness and quality leadership.
We’ve been experiencing a lot of problems in the past arising from lack of internal democracy and of course, we made necessary noise at that time; we drew attention to the frailties, to the problems and the likely consequences but here we are today. These are avoidable disasters waiting to happen; there is no way, when you are heading in a particular direction, that you will not end up in a particular destination. That is the fate of the PDP today. We believe we really have to come in so that we will be able to leave a worthy legacy. There are youths who believe in the party and we believe that we should hand over a credible party to them. The youths desire a party that has faith in Nigeria, a party that is truly a political party not just a coming together of some groups simply for electoral purposes. It was turned virtually to an electoral vehicle, a platform that we all use to get ourselves elected into some positions or get appointed into positions without performing the roles of a party. We have to change this.
Your party is in crisis and this had led to litigations that are threatening the very convention that will bring about the leadership you intend to head. Do you see the convention taking place as scheduled?
There will be peace in the party very soon. Some of the issues that are coming up are natural developments and that is what we call robust politics. It is unfortunate that there have been some misunderstandings in the past; once these issues are resolved, we will be able to move forward. The contending forces are part of what are happening. Frankly speaking, the party has enough human resources to think through those issues and resolve them. These issues are not legalistic, they are political issues and political solutions will be applied. If we rely on just going to court, some other issues will be coming up. I believe in the integrity of the leadership of the party and I believe that the leaders will put heads together and find solutions. It is just a matter of time. I believe in the leadership of the party to resolve it. The issues involved are being looked into and everybody will be brought on board. Those who took the case to court are members of the party and those who are being taken to court are members of the party. The entire party is involved in this thing and we will all come together and move the party forward.
Do you agree with postulations that external forces are at play in the PDP crisis?
When you see this type of situation, there is always that tendency for some others to come in and then try to play some roles because some would see it as being in their interest to create more problems in order to add to the problems of the party. As far as they are concerned, they see themselves as beneficiaries of whatever goes wrong within the party. It is important to be mindful of this and that is why we have been appealing to all our people not to let other parties to dictate the direction of what happens to the party, those who believe that by instigating crisis with the hope of benefiting from it will be disappointed. Our people are mindful of what is going on and we are taking necessary steps to make sure that people are not subjected to the manipulations of these external forces, who were expecting to benefit from any crisis within the PDP.
Why do you think the South-West deserves the chairmanship slot more than any other part of the South?
I believe that the South-West deserves it more than the other parts of the South because I haven’t seen anybody from the South-East who is showing any interest in the position. Some of our brothers that are showing interest from the South- South are doing so probably because they lacked the comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of the type of political situation that we are practicing in the country.
They should at some point remind themselves that we’ve just had a President that came from their zone. Although presidency belongs to the whole of Nigeria but then, former President Goodluck Jonathan was a product of the South-South that is why the PDP zoned the Presidency to the North.
The entire South produced the President that came from the South-South. Apart from that, we’ve had a long period of acting chairmanship and the occupant of the position has been from the South-South. He was the deputy national chairman for a long time and also acted as the national chairman. I believe with the equation, there are people who say oh, the South-West used to play a second fiddle, now it doen’t even play any fiddle at all. Looking at the equation, even those of our brothers from the South-South and the South-East, majority of them believe that this position should go to the South-West but then for the sake of robust politics and in order to fulfill all righteousness, whoever that is interested is free to come out and contest. At the end, we are all brothers, we are all compatriots in the same party, they will realise and would be convinced that the South-West should produce the next national chairman and by the grace of God that will be Professor Tunde Adeniran.
What do you think are your chances among all other contestants from the zone?
Our chances are very bright. I am a founding member; I am one of those who founded the party. In the entire South-West, I was the first to host the meeting of the PDP at my hall in Ibadan. Apart from that, by the grace of God, today I can say quite clearly that I am one leader from the zone who has never lost his polling booth, who has never lost his ward, and who has never lost his constituency in any election from 1999 till today. It is by the grace of God and I thank Him for it. I have never at any moment given thought to ever leaving the party.
People know this and appreciate it and because of the widespread reception and the encouragement that I have got over the past few months that this idea came up, I am convinced that there will be no problem with my candidacy because it enjoys local support within the South and throughout Nigeria. My candidacy is also enjoying popular reception and support due to the fact that I have committed myself totally to serving Nigeria over the past few decades. I have had the privilege of exposure to every segment of this nation. There is not a single state or local government that I have not visited during the time when we were working in the Directorate for Mass Mobilisation for Economic Recovery, Self Reliance and Social Justice- MAMSER. That opportunity gave me the privilege of visiting every nook and cranny of this country.
Copyright PUNCH.
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