The All Progressives Congress (APC)
raised the stakes yesterday in its bid for power at the centre in 2015.
Leaders of the opposition party
visited three state capitals in the North yesterday – to woo over to the APC
the aggrieved governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), which is struggling to survive a big internal crisis.
APC Interim National Chairman Chief
Bisi Akande led a strong team of party leaders, including Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governors, senators and others to Kano, Dutse
and Yola.
They wooed Kano State Governor Rabiu
Kwankwaso, Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and Adamawa State Governor Murtala
Nyako.
They were in Sokoto on Tuesday to
attend the inauguration of Sokoto State University. They also met with Governor
Aliyu Wamakko.
The four are among the seven PDP
governors locked in a fierce battle with the leadership of the party.
They left the party’s last
mini-convention to form a parallel executive under Alhaji Kawu Baraje.
Also on the entourage were Mallam
Nuhu Ribadu, former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, Senator George Akume, Alhaji
Abdullahi Gwarzo, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Alhaji Musa Gwadabe, Alhaji Kashim
Imam, Senator Annie Okonkwo, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and governors- Babatunde
Fashola (Lagos State),Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Rochas Okorocha (Imo).
The APC leaders met with Kwakwanso
at the Governor’s Office, Kano, before departing for Dutse.
But the PDP, expectedly, frowned at
the meetings, abusing the APC.”
Its National Publicity Secretary,
Chief Olisa Metuh, wondered in a statement why the APC leaders were wooing the
governors of the PDP they had castigated in the past.
Warning the PDP governors against
dumping the ruling party, he said: “Joining the APC is to join in promoting
divisions in Nigeria.”
Speaking in Kano, Akande, who
lamented the persecution of the seven governors, said they were being
intimidated for their commitment to a worthy cause.
He said: “We decided to come to you
to solidarise with you because we know you are of great mind; and that is why
some of you are being persecuted in your political party.Wherever small minds
are in power, great minds are persecuted. So in recognition of this, in this
wisdom, the leaders of the APC decided to come and lure you to join the
progressive party.”
The APC chairman added: “We are
proud to showcase our own party, the APC, as a platform and a soft ground for
great minds like you; and for that reason, we decided to come and let you know
that we have plenty rooms in APC for great minds.Our coming to Kano has shown
us the tremendous transformation that has taken place in Kano metropolis.
“These are the types of things we
want governors of APC to be able to do just like the ones in Lagos, Edo, Osun,
Ekiti and everywhere and when we see this development in Kano, we are always
proud of you. On behalf of my party, the APC, Mr. Governor, we are here as
campaigners in politics, which is not about individuals. It is about the unity
and progress of Nigeria. We invite you to look favourably to our party.”
Gen. Buhari said the APC leaders
were in Kano to woo Kwakwanso, saying that the mission is justifiable. He said:
“We are in Kano to lure you into APC and I am also here with my colleagues, and
the governors from other states, to convince you firstly, that we feel very
uncomfortable about Kano not coming along with us.
“We are here on a tough and ruthless
recruitment drive; we are a people-oriented party and our concern is about our
people and Nigeria. What APC is fundamentally going to do is to secure and
effectively manage this country when we secure power.”
Buhari hailed Kwankwaso for his
courage, alertness and determination to succeed, noting that he bounced back to
power after he was ousted in a general election.
He said: “Not so many people get the
opportunity to correct whatever mistake they think they have made. You were a
governor. We voted you out. You quietly went to the Ministry of Defence, and
came back and got elected. So, you are a very lucky person. It is not the red
cap that gave you the victory; it is the stars. So, in our bid to get Kano
back, we enjoin the governor to join us to deliver this country; and by the
mercy of God, we shall succeed.”
Okorocha, who spoke on behalf of the
APC governors, predicted that in 2015, “victory has been signed and sealed for
the APC”.
He said: “ We have come to invite
you, our brother, into this movement. APC is not a political party per se; it
is a movement; a movement of change. We are people, carefully, selected by God.
We’ll assure you as our colleagues that governors in APC are accorded their due
respect. I want to assure you that you are coming to a place you rightfully
belong.”
Kwankwaso was surprised that the APC
leadership could send such a powerful delegation to invite him into the party.
He said: “We have listened to you very attentively; we have heard what you said
and I feel elated that people of these calibre sat down and decided to visit us
for this purpose; this shows that we are important.
“Immediately you leave this place, I
will sit down with the stakeholders because this party belongs to all of us.
The Kwankwasiyya Movement is not a one-man show. No member of the Kwankwasiyya
Movement does it alone. We are working as a team and this team is strong and
capable enough to win elections in 2015. By the grace of God, our group will
continue to grow from strength to strength.
“If you are expecting me to say yes
or no to your offer now, you will not get it because we have to sit down as one
family and weigh the challenges; and at the end of the day, we will communicate
you through General Buhari.”
Tinubu told reporters after the
meeting that the visit was successful. He allayed the fear that the absence of
former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau meant that all was not well with APC in Kano.
He said: “I am not sure that he is available for this meeting, but there is no
problem.”
In Dutse, Akande told Lamido to
“please come and join the race because you are not where you belong to”.
He added: “Leave the PDP and join
the APC where you will have better opportunity to achieve your aims.”
The APC leaders’ visit, Akande said,
is not for you as Lamido or four our personal benefit rather for the rescue of
the people and the country.”
Tinubu described Lamido as one of
those reliable individuals the APC can work with because of his courage and
frankness.
“I don’t know how we found you under
the heated umbrella and now that the umbrella is tearing, it is time for you to
return to where you belong.
“We are here to reconnect with our
brother, a long-time friend and political associate with the same mission and
objectives. Come and join a team and rescue the country from abuse of power,
insincerity and negatives attached to the present administration”.
Lamido described the visit as a
family reunion because they were together years back in the Social Democratic
Party (SDP) and committed to working for the general public.
The governor said “PDP is sick, this
journey is a difficult one and will generate lots of issues”. He added: “This
is the beginning of the process and I’m ready to move with anyone concerned
with the progress and betterment of the common man and country.
He said: “I believe in Nigeria and
I’m enthusiastic about the fact that Gen. Buhari of all people came personally
to woo me to APC”
Lamido said what is worrisome to him
is that Nigerians don’t have that trust and confidence in their leaders any
longer. He added that it would not “be out of place if someone will join hands
with like minds to restore the lost glory of the nation.”
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Tinubu I love u but dis is d biginning of a great journey dat God has design;God bless APC,God bless Nigeria
ReplyDeleteAlaye & his soporters,who dash U?
DeleteYou are a fool for calling a political guru alaye. If you call Tinubu alaye then what do you call Jonathan who has been using the police authorities to witch hunt Ameachi supporters? I thank God that we have opposition li e Tinubu and Buhari who you can't buy their political conscience like other cursed Nigerian politicians.
ReplyDeleteFoolish APC ppl dey are forcing der way into d pdp dey all said was corrupt just because dey have misunderstanding, maybe dey think does pdp state ar for individuals? For ur information dey are our strong hold no party outside pdp can claim does south south state, dey were able to enter imo,edo because of pdp issues in dst state,rivers state, delta even bayelsa dey can't go der.for ur information APC are more corrupt Dan PDP. Its just dat dey have not gotten der yet? Dey are all criminals and am waiting 4 APC.presidential candidate wch I know der will b fight btw tinubu n buhari dats for Sure. Let's wait n c
ReplyDelete