The deputy national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Abdullahi, in this interview with ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU, clarifies the loud silence in the party and issues affecting Nigerians’ well-being as a result of the removal of subsidies on fuel.
There is a loud silence in the PDP; what is happening?
As one of the departments of national publicity in the PDP, I must admit that we haven’t lived up to expectations. There are expectations on us before and even now, you know, to keep Nigerians abreast of things. But we seem to have taken the back seat. And ostensibly because we have demonstrated our weaknesses in our capacity to do the job as is obtainable. So, I would only apologise to the members of the party and, of course, Nigerians who look up to the party. We should do better than we are doing to charge the atmosphere now that we have a sufficient argument, at least in respect of the manner in which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has handled some issues.
Many stakeholders in your party think the Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) is not doing enough…
That is not true; he has been doing his best. Recall that since taking over in an acting capacity, we have a long number of resolutions and I’m aware that they set machinery in place to ensure that all the issues that have to do with the unity of the party are addressed squarely.
So, it’s been a very herculean task for the party, but under his leadership, we’ve seen some level of inspiration as opposed to what was obtained hitherto. Don’t forget, we were accused of being arrogant and haughty. They accused us of not reaching out under the Iyorchia Ayu-led NWC. But since he took over in acting capacity, we’ve seen some measure of improvement in terms of engagement and accessibility. And it’s been touring the 36 states and the FCT towards reconciling the feuding parties in these respective states.
So, what should Nigerians expect from the party in the coming days?
We will recover our stolen mandate and take over control of the government as usual. However, everything hinged on unity; it was largely what led to the dismal performance even though we still believed we won, to a large extent, we could have done it overwhelmingly and better than we did if there was cohesion and unity.
So, when you have a united family, like we hope to have soon, you will see an improved, you know, determination on our part collectively. And you will see focus on ensuring that the objectives of the party are met. And we take control of the government yet again.
With other strong opposition parties like the Labor Party and APGA, is the PDP looking at joining forces with them?
It is not out of the radar. It’s part of what we are discussing within the party. So, certainly, those options are also on the card to get those who are willing to join and we’ve been having some calls to that effect. So, rest assured, we’re going to look at that option. But ultimately, the unity of the original members is what is paramount and uppermost to us. And that’s all we are engrossed with.
We have a committee in place, charged with the responsibility to receive those who intend to move into the party from wherever. So, in the days ahead, you are going to see a larger house with membership from other parties.
In recent times we have seen the governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, former governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, and former governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, and other PDP stakeholders hobnobbing with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; is the party concerned about this?
Yes, it is certain that WE will be disturbed by it. But some of us, and we are the majority, have appreciated the fact that getting everyone on board, getting the united family, the unity and cohesion of the party is key.
So, these people are critical stakeholders, don’t forget that. And they’re national leaders in their own right. So, they are entitled to their views and opinions, if they have resolved to go and see the Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it could be for national interest. None of them has come to denounce their membership in the party. And to that extent, we still believe they are faithful members of the party; they may have misgivings which we are addressing squarely.
So, the party won’t sanction them for possible anti-party?
No anti-party, unless proven by the committee; we are not intended to go that way. If the reconciliation takes care of all issues there wouldn’t be any need for sanction.
The Presidential Electoral Petition Tribunal is winding down. Is your party optimistic of the likely outcome?
As positive as we have always been, we are optimistic that it will ultimately turn in favour of the PDP. This is because of the overwhelming evidence that we have provided; we’ve been able to furnish the tribunal with incontrovertible evidence that the 2023 presidential election did not meet the required standard. And we have also convinced the tribunal in my judgement and the judgement of the PDP as a party that even pre-election matters that have to do with the qualification of the candidates would have nullified that election. So, generally, we are optimistic it will turn in the favour of the PDP’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, certainly. We are on a course of reclaiming our stolen mandate.
The removal of fuel subsidies is causing pains to Nigerians; what is your party’s position on this?
I was one of those who spoke in support of the decision of the Tinubu-led administration to remove fuel subsidies, you know, on behalf of the party. This is because virtually all the presidential candidates then were on a page that they were going to remove the subsidies, okay. It was only the modus operandi, you know, towards doing so that we differ.
But, certainly, our party will not have gone to do it this way. We will not have just held Nigerians by the throat; certainly it will not have done so. So, what we expected is, you know, some milk of human kindness in the decision. They should have at least taken six months within which they will study the situation properly. This is because if you look at the first withdrawal which took the price of fuel to over N500 plus, and in about a month or less, it’s now going into over N700.
One would have thought that the government would take six months, constitute a committee, and put measures in place like a palliative what have you to be able to assuage these adverse effects of the withdrawal of the subsidies.
No country in the world would have tolerated this; it’s only Nigerians that have that resilience. What I can tell you is that we are at a critical stage across religious and ethnic backgrounds; nobody is agreeing that this decision will stand.
So, what will you advise?
There is a need for the federal government to ensure that they deploy sufficient interventions first in the transport sector, by way of piloting. This was what we expected them to first do within the first six months before the subsidies were faced out. Also, they need to implement some of the remedial measures that would alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.
