NEW  PDP – APC MERGER: NO RESPITE IN SIGHT YET IN KWARA STATE

Following the Mid November, 2013 visit of the All Progressives Congress, APC top leadership to the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Dr AbdulFatah Ahmed as one of the aggrieved seven Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ilorin, the State Capital and the eventual defection of five of the seven concerned Governors to the APC, some of the APC card carrying members have threatened to dump APC for PDP if the Saraki dynasty controlled PDP is admitted into APC while some old and the new PDP opt to remain in PDP.

the State Correspondent, EMMAN KEHINDE , monitoring the political development in the State had a chance encounter with one of the APC Chieftains in Kwara State who was actually the State Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, A C N, Mr Kayode Olawepo, JP and reports that in the case of the purported merger between the new PDP and the APC, there has been no respite in sight  and brings you the excerpts of the interview:

Sir, you are now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, party. Recently, the national leadership of the APC were in Kwara State to discuss defection of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) members with APC to dialogue with the APC in Kwara State. What is the reation of the Kwara APC Stakeholders to this new development?

First, it is a welcome idea; the development is one of the decisions of the APC party leadership at national level to consult with the group of G-7 in PDP. But I believe very seriously that the national leadership is in order to come to Kwara State to dialogue with his Excellency, the Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfattah Ahmed. There is nothing unconstitutional about it and it is in line with the decision of progressive Governors and the interim National Executive of the party, APC. As for the reactions of the stakeholders, their reactions is collectively different. Because what our national leadership are considering is a total national Nigeria interest. What we in Kwara State would be looking at would definitely be different because our environment is different. Our Political situation is different.

      There are fears everywhere and the fears are well packaged. It is certain that some of us may lose what we think we have now. Some of us believe that giving the antecedent of Dr Senator Bukola Saraki and the ruling PDP in kwara State. They may be very difficult to deal with, because they have money, they have power. The belief is that they are coming to just overrun us, we, in APC that are on the ground now.

There are some of us that because of personal individual interest, I repeat, personal individual interest, may not want it, that is, these PDP people to come over to over to the APC in Kwara State.

It is not the party interest this time around but for the individual personal interest. So, by the time we now take these interests together, you would see that the reactions of the stakeholders would be in line with the shades or types of interests the individuals or groups have. There are some that would be happy among the APC leaders that they are assured of the leadership if the PDP comes over come 2015 general election. There are some who have ambitions and that their ambitions may not be realised if these PDP people come over to APC. So, we have to take it in our strides and see what we can do to make sure that all these fears are allayed. But I thank God. I know my national leaders very well. The astute they displayed during the formative stage of the APC is highly commendable. Because, I know very well when the APC of a thing newly started; I was then a member of the National Executive Party of my party, ACN, and I know the battles that we fought within the party itself, inter parties themselves, the problems of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, itself, the problems of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC itself, the problem of everything. But that they can bring everybody together and today have a harmonious national executive working committee.

I am sure, they would take all the necessary steps to make sure that all those fears were allayed so that by the time they finish their discussions with group called the G-7,  everybody at the end of the day can be happy, to welcome all the new political members that are coming from the PDP.

Sir, we understand that based on the decision of the APC leadership to put Kwara State, leadership under the PDP leadership, some group in the APC have vowed to dump APC, and defect to PDP so long as they admit the Sarakis into the APC fold. How far is it true? What are you doing about this development? What should we expect?

That has not come to me officially. I don’t know about that because I am not part of those that are vowing to go. But given as I said earlier, self interests differ. As long as some people may believe that their interests cannot be met (under the merger), then definitely they have their own decisions to make. But before we can say they are going to go or not, let us see ‘this their threat’ and what the future holds. But maybe, by the time every machinery, every negotiation is put together, they may withdraw the threat. But whatever that may happen, it is not going to be new because it is not everybody in CPC that are now in APC.

APGA group is not wholly in the APC today. It is not everybody that is in APGA that is in APC today. It is the people with common interest that would stay together. While I pray that nobody in APC would go to the PDP in Kwara State, but you cannot stop anybody because, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there is freedom of movement, there is freedom of association and political parties are voluntary organisations whereby you cannot force anybody to remain with by all means. But I pray; and I know that by the time all our leaders must have finished every form of negotiation must have put in place everything that would lead to a harmonious relationship, they would withdraw the threat.

But do you think your party can work with the PDP in Kwara State? Some people feel that the two of you have antagonistic posture towards each other?

The word(sic) ‘that do you think we can work together’; you are making it to be an impossibility and I think impossibility is a language that still belongs to the fools. There is nothing that is impossible. Once there is the will, there would be a way. Because, let me give an example. If Baba Bisi Akande and General Buhari can be in the same bus together today, then every other thing can be possible. Because if Baba Bisi Akande has to be thinking that it was the same Buhari that jailed him for so, so, and so numbers of years, they won’t be there together in APC today. Are you getting me now?

Think of the sacrifice these people have made. For example, there is one ANPP man called Ogbonaiya Onu, as the National Chairman of the ANPP and there is also the Tonny Momoh of the CPC. If the two of them can just abandon their national posts in the national interest, then, there is nothing that can be tagged as impossible.

So, who would ever think that in PDP, there would be crisis of this nature or magnitude? So, there is no impossibility anywhere. The coming of human being itself into this world is an impossibility that was made possible. So, I believe that we would be able to work together if we put our minds at it that we are going to work together. Because working together does not mean that it takes to work together as a block.

The situation in each of the wards would be different with regards to their brothers, sisters, family. They may all be of the same thing. At ward level, they may not find it difficult to work together. Once, people can work together at the ward level, and then it is the wards that make whatever that is in the Local Government. Then if they can work together at Local Government level; agreed that in some Local Governments we may have some initial teething problems, but once they can work together at the ward level, because the ward is the closest level to the people politically.  So, it is going to be like that up to the State. We have 193 wards in the State. Then, if we have 150 wards that are working well, harmoniously; then what are we talking about?

But the total picture the people are looking at is as if the structure of the party begins from the State level and ends with the State. They have forgotten that the most important structure in any political party is the ward. Once the wards can work together, definitely the State would run. So, forget that it is an impossibility that we cannot work together.

    The current situation on ground as things stand is that PDP controls the 16 local government councils by the last October 26^th 2013 council’s elections. What is your reaction to the decamping over to APC bearing in mind that the PDP controls the government and council’s structure now?

I want to let the world know, and through you, the Press, the entire Kwara State community to know that our leaders would not just sell us out. They will not. I trust them. They would put something in place that would make those among in and those that they were coming to meet comfortable to work with each other.

    About 2 or 3 days ago , if I can remember well, there was a Committee that was set up they call it a merger committee, headed by the former Edo State Governor, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, to steer the executive committee and other political positions to be shared among the merging political Parties. So, one must wait for the outcome of that committee before one will jump into the fact that when they come they are going to be this and that. Like I told you, this people that are up there are seriously very astute leaders. They know what they are doing. They know everything that is the people’s feelings.

If these three major parties or four, with all these problems in each of the parties with all the leadership tussle within themselves can come together to become this APC and such that they are working with all the harmonious relationship that we are seeing, I do not think it is going to be difficult to work out a system that will make everybody comfortable. So, let us wait for the outcome of their meeting.

  Few days ago, 15 local government council chairmen and councillors were asked to resign en-mass less than 3weeks to the expiration of their 3years tenure and new ones were sworn in without taking severance allowance. What is your reaction to that?

That is their own internal affair. It’s one hundred per-cent the PDP’s internal affair. So, I don’t comment on that.

Again sir, assuming that the as PDP comes to you with one person the leader as it obtains in PDP now, how are you going to handle that? Are you going to agree to be subsumed under that leadership or subservient to that PDP leadership style?

I said let us wait for the Oyegun Committee’s Report .We have to see what is going to kill us.Let us see what is going to be possible of how things are going to work out.

APC is in courts over the local government councils elections. Are you going to withdraw or going to discontinue the cases in courts?

We are not together yet .when we are together, we would know what to do.

When you, or if you eventually come together, are you going to withdraw the cases in courts against the PDP or the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission, KWASIEC, on local government council elections or what?

I am not a lawyer, so I cannot comment on the nitty-gritty of what is happing on now.

  What is your level of preparedness for re- run  election assuming that court nullifies the present Councils’ election?

We are not qualified before because we were less than mandatory 9o days then. Now, we are qualified and all along we know that we were not qualified. Our people have been working hard day and night towards winning the election, and now that we know that all is not over yet ,they have been told to continue working harder towards winning the election if the court nullifies it, in case we win at the appeal court.

Sir, in Offa Local Government Council Election the APC allegedly won at the polls but the KWSIEC allegedly declared PDP the winner. What is your reaction?

They have done two things about it. One, I think they have appealled the original judgment that said we could contest the election. That is pre –election matter. I think they have gone for appeal to contest that judgement. After the election ,they have gone to the tribunal to contest awarding the APC Poll victory to the PDP. Both cases are going on in courts paripasu.

APC has not commenced party membership registration now. When is that commence now that you have passed the 9o days mandatory period?

I think no election is  coming up now as far as APC is concerned now.

What of if the Appeal Court up turns the election and orders a re –run?

Let us put Nigerian scenario into consideration. I do not know how far that would be. Let’s assume that before the Appeal Court up turns the election results, we would have prepared ourselves for the registration. We have the tentative date for registration. We have set aside commencement of registration for November22nd, 2013. But the national leadership, you know what is going on….  You are negotiating with some people and you want them to come to the Party….  Part of the crisis; what would really engineer the crisis would be that some people are already registered members while others are just coming in. If the negations are going on, why not wait and see to the end of the negations before you commence membership registration so that all of you would register together as one Party so that you are all going to be foundation members? And two, all these fears that ‘they are going to take away the Party’s structures from us’ ,why don’t you form the structure together ? So, it is better to wait and do things properly together than to rush and eventually create crisis that you may not be able to solve easily.

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