From Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee, and former Minister of State for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye has said that the party is now united more than ever, contrary to what is believed by outsiders.
Adeyeye who spoke briefly with newsmen at his Ise-Ekiti country home in Ise-orun Local Government Area of Ekiti State, while empowering some youths in his community with full tertiary education scholarship, said that PDP still remains the biggest party in Africa with firm grassroots presence and structure in all nooks and cranny of Nigeria.
He spoke on other issues
Are you giving 40 undergraduates of your community scholarship because of political ambition?
I’m not doing this for any political ambition. If it was for political ambition, I would have selected who to give the scholarship to. I do not know whether any of the parents of the students who have received the scholarship belong to APC or PDP. I had asked the student union leaders to constitute a committee for nominating the beneficiaries with one or two eminent people. There is no politics in this; it is just to honour the memory of my late father who passed on some 40 years ago.
I do a lot of things for my party as a member of the PDP but this is not about politics. I’m doing this for our youths because I love them and want to support their education because without education, we are nobody. I’m privileged to do this because I have education.
I don’t want our youths with great talents and potential to waste away because their parents do not have money to sponsor their education.
A federal High court recently ordered that the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) should unfreeze Governor Fayose ‘s accounts, what does this development mean to your party?
It means that the court has risen to the challenge to curb impunity on the part of the EFCC. The EFCC and the security organization have been acting as if they have no rule. They do whatever they like as if there is no constitution that guarantees fundamental human rights of citizens in Nigeria. I believe that we must begin to scrutinize the activities of these agencies otherwise, their activities would soon plunge the country into full blown dictatorship
The race for 2019 has already begun, how prepared is your party, PDP?
The crisis in PDP would soon end, I can assure you of that. We would start the New Year a stronger and united party because very soon, the court of appeal would finalize on the legal issues and resolve the crisis.
But I want to tell you that PDP had performed better than this present government. Examine your life, are you better than you were two years ago, I ask, are you?
PDP is a household name. I’m not ruling out the possibility of a mega party, but now, as of today, PDP remains the largest party in the whole of Africa. Whether we are ruling or not, we remain the largest party. We are in every nook and cranny of Nigeria. We are the only party you would find in every ward across the country. We are a very huge party and people are very enthusiastic about the party. Let me tell you, I’m the national spokesman of the party, many of the people in APC are frustrated and have been making overtures to us.
As for many who were aggrieved, we are putting our house together and resolving all issues soon.
What are the pointers to the soon-to be achieved peace in your party that you speak about?
Contrary to the impression you have in the media, the PDP is even more united now. I say that because all our governors are united, our state house of assemblies and federal lawmakers are united and so do all our state leaders and others are united, the Board of Trustees are also united and all are together supporting the national caretaker committee of the party. We have set up committees, all the former governors are with us, so to a large extent, the party is united, only a few are rebellious and are making a lot of noise and allowing themselves to be used by the APC. Now, by the grace of God, by the time all the legal issues are resolved by the court of appeal, we would be in a position to bring everybody together and have what I will call genuine PDP.