…We don’t need moles to win election-APC Scribe
Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Against the backdrop of fear that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kaduna State is allegedly sponsoring some moles in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to destabilize it ahead of 2023 governorship election, the newly reelected State chairman of PDP, Hassan Hyet said the major opposition party is not afraid of APC antics.
But the State Secretary of APC, Yahaya Baba Pate, while reacting to the issue of moles when contacted by our Correspondent said the party did not need to plant moles in PDP before defeating it at the polls.
“APC does not need to have moles in PDP to win election in Kaduna State. We are comfortable with formidable leadership.
“The APC government under the able leadership of governor Nasir El-rufai is doing well enough to win election any day, any time.
“Governor El-rufai’s performance in health sector, educational sector, infrastructural development, all spheres of governance is enough testimony to win election in the State”. Baba Pate said.
However, while fielding questions from Journalists shortly after he was inaugurated as the PDP State chairman, Hyet said, “You see the problem, APC will never stop sponsoring moles within PDP, but PDP is aware that APC is desperate, we know. We are also working out our own strategies to face the desperation of APC and send it back to APC owners”.
He also took a critical look at the security challenges in Kaduna State, saying, ” There has never been the greatest security challenges we ever witnessed in the State compared to Sharia crisis of the year 2000, but we overcome it because of all inclusive trust where you invited people of different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds to sit down at a round table, and by the time people realised that there was genuine efforts by the government to lead them to enduring peace, the people bought in, but now you have a government that is segregating the people through unpalatable utterances in the highest order.
“Let the government come back to the people and sit down with them at a round table and you will see that peace
will return to the State”.
Speaking on his reelection and what he intended to do to appease aggrieved party members, Hyet said, “One, I appreciated the caretaker committee that stood for the party for six days, they were able to conduct local government election and state Congress in the midst of legal challenges, tensions and security challenges. I dough my hat for them, I appreciate their sacrifices that took us more than two days to wrap up this state congress, and we really commended their efforts, we also commended the electoral committe, because there was harmony between the state and the caretaker commitee of kaduna state to conduct the congress election . We also commend the efforts of the security agencies to ensuring that there was no issue on the day of the election. So also, the INEC officials that went there from Saturday morning up to the early hours of Monday to witness every step that was taken.
“My position has been that we contested election, but after everything has been declared, all the house are winners ,so it is a win- win situation, there is no vanguish, no victor, all of them won. It means we all went into this contest because of our love for PDP, and we feel we can offer something.
“So we are all for this elections for PDP because we feel we can offer something. We want to assure that all those contested for whatever offices that we will put up the machineries for action whereby everybody will be involved in making sure that the PDP is moving from strength to strength.
“We call on my colleagues, from the local government to the state level for putting their trust, we must guard judiciously because the people of Kaduna state want us to come out to help them out, rescue them in these situations that have eaten the state and all of us.
“So whatever you think someone is doing, if God says it is yours, nothing can stop it. My last statement was I pray that my collegues open their hearts to see , because criticism is an aspect of management and administration. If you don’t accept criticisim, you are most likely to fail, because it is what will assist you to move forward.
“We are going to local government election next week, we can not go with a divided house, all those who felt aggrieved, all those who went to court, we will continue to dialogue with these aggrieved people so that we move PDD forward, we are no longer divided”.
The PDP Chairman used the occasion to condole with the State government over the recent death of Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, saying, “My condolence on the demise of the late Shehu Idris, as a man of peace loving person, I had personal contact with him since 1994 when I was elected as the party chairman of local Government and his domain was extended up to Kachia, up to Zango Kataf. Then I know he is a man that was always on the move ensuring that there was peace in the land, there was justice in the land.
“He was a man that all time when I sorted to see him, he has never denied me this, and in the course of discussion, he will always say, ‘” Minister ,we want peace, Minister, we want peace. I can never forget. May God grant him Aljannah, and also may God grant the people of Kaduna, starting with the Governor, his Government, and then going to the traditional council and the whole state. We would keep on recalling all his virtues and then whoever will, take over from him, may God give him the strength to continue with the good works of the late Shehu Idris”.