The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, on Wednesday, faulted the claims that President Bola Tinubu was behind the myriad of crises currently rocking the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying that Governor Seyi Makinde and a few others within the opposition party should be held responsible “as a result of their naivety, pride and insincerity”.
The PDP, which once dominated the political space in the country, is now becoming a shadow of itself. It continues to lose more members, including serving governors and lawmakers at both federal and state levels, to other political parties, especially the APC.
In a statement issued and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC regretted that the PDP failed Nigerians while in power for 16 years at the federal level, and now, that it was expected to be the major opposition platform in the country.
“As democrats, we are worried at the turn of events in the PDP since the umbrella party was dislodged from power at the centre in 2015, as it became evident that the only thing which united members of the party was the national cake. Things fell apart within the PDP immediately the 2015 presidential election was decided in favour of the newly registered APC, and up till now, the centre could not hold as the former dominant party now faces imminent collapse and extinction.
“Meanwhile, political pundits and discerning minds who watched while the PDP decimated the socio-political and economic structures of the country between 1999 and 2015 would hinge the present travails of the umbrella party on the law of retribution. A particular leader of this same party boasted that they would be in power for, at least, 50 years, as this marked the height of power intoxication. Shortly after, power and money which kept them going disappeared, and minor crises were allowed to fester until the time of the 2023 general elections, when the worst happened.
“Rather than look inward for solutions, supposed elders and leaders within the PDP left everything to chance and paved the way for the likes of Gov. Makinde to take over the affairs of their party. Because he lacked capacity, experience and other traits required to lead a national party, Gov. Makinde emerged the final nemesis which consumed the PDP, as he is now the only governor belonging to the umbrella party in the whole of Southern Nigeria, with only three or four left in the North.
“We recall that Senator Bola Tinubu and other victims of do-or-die politics of the Obasanjo era sacrificed a lot to keep the opposition movement afloat until 2015, and the same set of people cannot be blamed for the incompetence on the part of those in the opposition today. As a matter of fact, Gov. Makinde cannot deliver the PDP from its current comatose condition. If virtually all his governor colleagues can leave the party for him, questions should be asked about his mission and vision for the PDP, while President Tinubu should be allowed to focus on his job as the president of the country,” APC stated.
