…He’s a paperweight, can’t win his ward councillorship – Akume
…He is hallucinating -Okechukwu
…As Yari, Sheriff, Almakura, Yuguda, Musa, Mustapha others reel out plans for victory
The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has again taken a swipe at the National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Sen. Iyiorcha Ayu over his claims that the APC would soon be swept out of power.
At a meeting with some state Caretaker Chairmen of the party Thursday in Abuja, National Secretary of APC’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe said Nigerians cannot replace the ruling party with a ‘brassiere buying government’.
This came on a day that nine national chairmanship aspirants of the party reeled out plans to reposition the APC ahead of the post-Muhammadu Buhari era.
The aspirants spoke at the 2nd Annual Public Lecture of the APC Press Corps, which had as its theme, “APC Beyond 2023: The tasks ahead, the Role of Stakeholders.”
The lecture which was declared open by Chairman of the occasion and Director General, Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF, Salihu Moh. Lukman had se real aspirants in attendance including; Senator representing Niger East, Mohammed Sani Musa, former governors of Borno, Nasarawa, Zamfara, and Bauchi states, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff (represented by Dr Cairo Ojougboh), Senator Tanko Almakura, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari and Malam Isa Yuguda (represented by his son, Muslim) respectively.
Others were former Governor of Benue state and serving Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume (represented by Hon. Sam Ode, a former Minister); former Deputy National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change CPC, Malam Saliu Mustapha (represented by Chief Edwin Osa Ogunbor), the Jagaban Jimeta, Chief Sunny Sylvester Moniedafe, and Manager, Special Projects with Leadership Newspapers, Mohammed Saidu Etsu.
Brassiere Govt
Akpanudoedehe’s ‘brassiere’ analogy is a reference to a viral news report which said the federal government had uncovered diamond-encrusted undergarments belonging to a former Minister in the PDP administration who is currently under investigation.
According to government, the former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Madueke’s property located in Banana Island Foreshore Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, which include 18 flats and six penthouses located at Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista, Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, are up for auction.
Other recovered items listed are 125 pieces of wedding gowns, 13 pieces of small gowns, 41 pieces of waist trainers, 73 pieces of hard flower, 11 pieces of suit, 11 pieces of invisible bra, 73 pieces of veils, 30 pieces of braziers, two pieces of standing fan, 17 pieces of magic skits, six packets of blankets, one table blanket and 64 pairs of shoes.
Speaking during the meeting with the state Chairmen, Sen. Akpanudoedehe said: “Senator Akpanudoedehe also went spritual while countering Ayu’s assertion that APC will break by April 2022, said those pronouncements shall “come to naught .
“I learnt that the new PDP chairman made a prophecy that we will scatter before April.
“I replied by saying that the Bible says take counsel together, it shall come to nothing. Speak the word, it will not stand, rather we will be stronger and stronger. Let me send a message to PDP, if we are talking about replacing APC, it can never be you because Nigerians are too intelligent.
“Nigerians will still chose APC. Talk is cheap, even when you sponsor crisis throughout Nigeria, we won all our bye-elections. We inherited insurgency and we have dealt with it. As we speak, not one inch of Nigeria’s territory has been taken over by any group. That is why they have turned themselves to criminals. When PDP were in government, they took over everywhere but today, it is different.
“Maybe because the President is not the talking type. I am challenging anyone to show me any social intervention programme better than this government. People are collecting alerts for COVID-19 palliative. Youths, women, civil servants are collecting it.
“If you have a minister who served under that government and the Minister bought a brassier worth $1 million, we cannot replace APC with brassier government. We just got another information that another account has been discovered”, he said.
Earlier, leader of the state chairmen, Prophet Jones Ode Erue said they will resist any attempt to derail the current party leadership from actualizing its objectives.
Ayu is hallucinating
At the lecture in Abuja, keynote speaker and Director General of the Voice of Nigeria VON, Mr Osita Okechukwu said Dr Ayu, after a sumptuous pounded yam victory dinner in Makurdi, the capital of his home state, Benue, publicly pronounced that there will be no APC by April 2023.
According to him, “Ayu hallucinated” when he declared that “by March/April 2023, there will be no APC in Nigeria. APC is a contraption; a contraption to win power, but they have no programme or any ideological position on what to do with power.”
“We are used to such hallucinations from the PDP, a party which regrettably squandered the messianic vision of its founding father, the former Vice President, His Excellency, Dr Alex Ekwueme of blessed memory, frustrated foreign investors and the high exit- expectations of Nigerians from gruesome military dictatorship”, he stated.
Okechukwu added that one important item which might make or mar the APC is the issue of internal democracy.
He said; “The incoming NWC must as a matter of urgent national importance whether direct or indirect or consensus make sure that the best candidates prevail. This is more so when events have proven that imposition of candidates engender negative outcome and recession of democracy. The case of the recent Anambra State gubernatorial primary is a case study”.
Sen. Akume on his part described Dr Ayu as a paperweight, saying he has no electoral value as he cannot win a ward councillorship election in his native Benue state.
“The keynote speaker said Ayu is hallucinating. I think it is even more than that. It is not just hallucinations but delusion of grandeur. He knows that he cannot win a ward councillorship election in his local government in Benue state”, said Akume.
Mustapha in his remarks said he plans to introduce a new lease of life to party administration based on the experiences he garnered as the former Deputy National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change CPC.
“We will combine that experience of party administration with our strength as a bridge between the older and younger generation of party supporters to run a structure that will work for all regardless of status and age.
“Yes the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is celebrating having a 25 year old youth leader but our party can go a step further by having a youthful yet experienced bridge builder as its National Chairman. That is doing things differently.
“We will prevent crisis by constantly looking out for conventional and non-conventional triggers otherwise known as early warning signals across all strata of the party, and nip them in the bud promptly and firmly before they degenerate”, he stated.
Moniedafe, has promised to generate a whopping sum of N50.4 billion annually if elected in the party’s February National Convention.
He said he will achieve the feat from the monthly levies of N100 from each member of the ruling party.
“Word going round says that we have about 42 million members in the APC. If we can convince them to pay N100 per month, we will raise N4.2 billion. Multiply that by 12 months, you will get N50.4 billion,’ he said.
He said apart from convincing the members to pay the levies, he will also ensure thorough screening Ministerial and other nominees for executive positions so as to entrench a culture of loyalty and an efficient reward system.
He equally assured that under his watch, the National Working Committee (NWC) will hold annual party conferences, at both national and state levels.
Also speaking, Etsu called on other aspirants to support his bid, saying he possesses the youthful vigour to turn around the fortunes of the party.
Sen. Al-Makura called for self retrospection in order to be able to understand the nature of problems afflicting the party.
“We may not realize the grave situation the party is in until we think deeply and see certain things that we may be weathering by 2023 and that is when the party will be expected to show its real focus. We are in a period of transition and the best thing that can happen is for us to start thinking about an APC beyond 2023.
“I am also a perturbed that our leader, our role model, the unifier of this party that has held this party together in the past six years and a half would be on his way out. Are we prepared to carry the mantle and at least, try to do what he has been doing? That is the question. So I can sum it up that what needs to be done is sustaining the gains and securing the future”, he stated.
Also speaking, former Governor of Borno state, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff promised to turn around the fortunes of the party, and expressed willingness to work with all stakeholders to realise his promises.
Malam Yuguda on his part called on all stakeholders to be united, saying the APC cannot afford to be embroiled in crisis in a post Buhari-era.
“Isa Yuguda calls for unity, peace and progress. Unity is crucial in our party and without unity there cannot be peace; without peace there cannot be progress. It is important that we understand that these three are related. Someone who can bring all the national chairmanship aspirants and members of the APC together as a family is Isa Yuguda. We need someone who can unite the party and that is Isa Yuguda”, said his son, Muslim.
Sen. Musa on his part lamented that all political structures in the country have been reduced to mere platforms to gain electoral power.
“That trajectory is not good for us. It has not given us what is desired. Previous speakers have spoken and it is in tandem and in line with my aspiration that we need a change of direction. We need to reorganize and reposition our party to the level that we can call it an institution.
“The trajectory should be that we should have a constitution that we will abide by. If you are a leader, if you are an aspirant, if you are elected to an office, you should know that there is a book, there is a constitution that we must stand and abide by it. The guidelines of the party are there, the manifesto of the party is there. If you are elected under the platform of this party, there is no way you shouldn’t abide by the books that this party has created”, he added.
Earlier, Chairman of the occasion and DG PGF, Salihu Moh. Lukman harped on unity especially among the leaders of the party.
“I want to appeal not just to the aspirants only but to the leaders of our party. One of the big challenges we face politically is the question of how our leaders are able to unite and relate with one another and often the question of leaders contesting for leadership becomes the source of dispute, becomes the source of disagreement.
“I think until our politics, until our democracy is able to develop to such an extent whereby disagreements can be resolved without the usual friction that disrupts our politics, I think we have a long way to go”, he stated