The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the People Democratic Party (PDP) of overstepping its bounds by employing its notoriously crude language to criticise the decision of the party’s (ACN’s) leadership to settle the rift between Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti and a member of the House of Representatives from the state, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele.
National Leader of the ACN, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was quoted as endorsing Governor Fayemi for another term and asking Bamidele to sheath his sword and rescind his decision to slug out the governorship seat with the governor in the forthcoming election in the state. But the PDP had asked Tinubu to leave Ekiti people alone to select whoever they want to govern them.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN, which had also dabbled in the internal crises rocking the PDP in recent times, wondered why the PDP, beset with a humongous crisis of its own making, would use the time it doesn’t have to dabble into what is strictly the internal affairs of the ACN, an issue that has no bearing on governance at the national level where the PDP has been bumbling.
It said the ACN leadership has no regrets for saying Governor Fayemi should be allowed to go for a second term because he has performed well, adding that a student who does well deserves promotion.
“This is unlike the situation in the PDP, where even a president who has failed woefully, using his own lowered ‘marking scheme’, is being offered an automatic ticket! ACN rewards excellence, not indolence, and we have no apologies for this,” the party said, asking when Bamidele appointed the PDP as his defender.
ACN wondered why the PDP leadership has been gallivanting from one zone to another trying to reconcile its ever-warring members, if indeed the ruling party believes that other parties have no right to do the same.
“It seems, however, that what has irked the PDP is that where its own reconciliation efforts have failed woefully, because they were insincere, ACN’s have succeeded, due largely to the discipline in the party and the sincerity of its efforts. After all, we don’t go around suspending or destroying our best performers in the name of ‘reconciliation.’” it said.
It then advised PDP’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Tony Okeke to learn the elementary lessons of being a party spokesman, which include not just making comments unless there are compelling reasons to.
“We have noticed the enthusiasm of the new spokesman, which is good, especially since he wants to impress his masters so they can keep him on the job,” the statement added. “But he needs tutelage and mentoring so that he can carry out his duties effectively. So far, he has not availed himself creditably.”
Meanwhile, the ACN has said its spokesman has been vindicated for saying that the party’s former National Treasurer, Mr. Kenneth Kobani had other reasons for resigning than what he (Kobani) said, which is that the APC ‘has a clear ethno-religious slant, and does not take into account the security and geo-political realities of the very complex Nigerian state’.
The party said Mr. Kobani’s true position has been reflected in the fact that he was part of the PDP’s delegation to a meeting with President Jonathan, even when he (Kobani) had barely left the ACN.
“We knew the truth would soon come out, but it did even sooner than we imagined.
“First, PDP placed a full-page advert to cast aspersion on our party’s spokesman (as if there is no better way to spend a party’s funds), and then Mr. Kobani on the same day surfaced in Abuja as a member of delegation of a faction of Rivers PDP! Who is lying now?”
