Metuh Reveals Why Obasanjo, Atiku, Amaechi Left PDP
Coming short of saying it turned former key officials that later
became vocal critics to super stars, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
on Monday, took a jab at former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his
deputy, Atiku Abubakar; Senator Barnabas Gemade, Professor Iyorchia Ayu,
Audu Ogbe, Rotimi Amaechi, among others, accusing them of dumping the
party for
fear of competition.
The PDP said apart from Obasanjo and Atiku, who led the country from
the onset of the Fourth Republic, the rest held very senior positions,
including chairmen and members of its National Working Committee (NWC)
and Board of Trustees (BoT).
The party said the big wigs became uncomfortable because it thrived
on offering a level playing ground and accommodating various shades of
Nigeria’s national spread.
Other party stalwarts that defected from PDP include Yaya Kwande,
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (former Speaker of the House of Representatives,
now Sokoto State Governor), Aliyu Wamakko, Mutala Nyako, Musa Rabiu
Kwakwanso, ex-governors of Sokoto, Adamawa and Kano states respectively,
among others.
Fielding questions at a press conference in Abuja on why top guns of
the PDP were defecting to the opposition in droves, the National
Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, said: “Majority of the
top party members who defected from our party are those who cannot
handle competition while some members felt that they were not
well-protected when they sought assistance, others left because we lost
election, others for selfish reason, while some others left when they
felt they were honestly not properly accommodated in the party.”
The press conference was called to mark the 17th Anniversary of the
institution that once prided itself as the largest party in Africa,
which lost power at the federal level after spending 16 years in
government.
Metuh said the PDP had nurtured democracy in the last 16 years and
strengthened the political space through creating enabling environment
for various entrepreneurial spirits to bloom.
The last 16 years of the PDP, Metuh said, has been good to the nation
economically with a large number of billionaires emerging in the
country because of “good economic policies” of its administration while
in power.
On why the party was rejected at the polls during the last general
elections in view of the achievements it claimed, he said only Nigerians
were in a position to explain.
He said that the party was still surprised that despite its
achievements recorded in the last 16 years it was in control of the
Federal Government, majority of Nigerians rejected it at the polls.
“Only the electorate can say why we were rejected. We must have made
our mistakes and some of the issues that affected the election had to do
with the people.
“In those 16 years, we did our best. We created a system where merits
were recognised. We created a lot of super rich Nigerians like Dangote,
Oando and other companies. Nigerian companies now compete with foreign
companies in the oil and gas sector,” Metuh stated.
He said that it was wrong for anyone to associate the party with
corruption, a tag the current government of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) is trying to portray about the party, stressing that for
the first time after over 35 years of military rule in Nigeria, the
emergence of the PDP in the political scene created an enabling
environment where public fund oiled the economy for entrepreneurs to
bloom.
Metuh said the PDP attracted Nigerians in the Diaspora to return
home, believing in the system even as it stuck to the rule of law and
ensured the democratic ethos.
He insisted that anti-corruption war was part of the achievements of
the PDP as demonstrated in the establishment of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
He said the PDP which championed the anti-graft campaign in the
country followed it with due respect to the fundamental human rights of
the people without propaganda that de-market Nigeria by celebrating
corruption.
The PDP, he maintained, did internal cleansing by investigating its
members with due respect to fundamental rights of the people without
propaganda and undue celebration of fights against corruption.
“When the PDP took office in 1999, it quickly formed government and
calmly, but vigorously applied itself to service, initiating reforms,
and facing the challenges inherited from past military regimes, without
resorting to blames, blackmail and propaganda.
“At the time PDP came to power, Nigeria’s image internationally was
in a deplorable state, with very poor human rights records. The onus of
restoring it from its pariah status then rested squarely on the PDP-led
government, which it successfully executed, returning the nation to its
pride of place in the comity of nations.
“The PDP-led government under former President Olusegun Obasanjo went
further to work assiduously to settle foreign debts accumulated by
previous administrations and extricated the nation’s economy from
burdens of the London and Paris Clubs debt overhang.
“Furthermore, in line with the determination to establish a moral and
ethical society guided by such core values as honesty, integrity and
justice, as contained in its manifesto, the PDP administration set up
the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit, otherwise known as
Due Process Unit, which ensured transparency in government procurements
and spending.
“The PDP government, in the same vein, immediately established the
two major anti-corruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with strict establishment and
operation of laws to ensure effectiveness and immunity from executive
interferences.
“Down the years, SERVICOM desks were opened in ministries and
agencies to further ensure ethical standards in government businesses.
“As a result of these deliberate policies, human rights and business
friendly environment were created and it saw to the massive return of
Nigerians in the Diaspora and the influx of direct foreign investments
into the country.
“Also, in keeping with the vision of our founding fathers to build a
qualitative democratic society, successive PDP administrations for 16
years nurtured and sustained national unity and cohesion through strict
application of the principles of federal character and social justice,
for equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities,” Metuh said.
He also said that the party initiated series of amendments to the
constitution to make it more responsive to the wishes and aspirations of
the people; reformed the electoral system to allow for greater
political participation, granted operational independence to INEC and
enacted the Freedom of Information Law, while upholding the sanctity of
the rule of law in all sectors of the polity.
“To reposition the economy for greater productivity, successive PDP
administrations applied an economic policy, which enhanced a dynamic
economy, in which market forces are combined with the forces of
partnership, solidarity and cooperation to boost private sector
participation and emergence of an empowered middle class system in the
country.
“As you are aware, the hallmark of the PDP administration was
anchored on the policy of transfer of wealth from the public sector to
hardworking and enterprising Nigerians. This resulted in the rapid
expansion of the nation’s economic frontiers with an unprecedented
growth in small and medium scale enterprises, which helped in providing
employment for millions of our citizens across the country.
“It is incontrovertible that within the 16 years of successive PDP
administrations, more businesses opened in the country in all sectors of
the economy; in telecommunication (with one the world fastest GSM and
Internet penetrations), transport, aviation, hospitality, education,
agriculture, the media, automobile, real estate, oil and gas, food
processing, among others, than in any other period in the nation’s
history.
“In the same vein, hitherto weak banking sector was repositioned and
strengthened, thereby providing support for businesses and restoring
investors’ confidence in our system. By 2015, the PDP has grown our
nation’s economy to the largest in Africa and one of the fastest growing
in the world.
“Under the PDP administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, our nation
witnessed the successful unbundling of the power sector with massive
investments, resulting in the construction and rehabilitation of various
power projects.
“This is in addition to investments in oil and gas sector including
the Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of our oil refineries, whose
dividends, the nation is now enjoying,” the party added
No comments:
Disclaimer:
*Don't Forget To Drop Your Comments After Reading
*Comments on this blog are NOT posted by Agbo.
*Agbosblog Readers are SOLELY responsible for the comments they post on Agbosblog.com
*Follow On Instagram @agbosblog
*Follow On Twitter @agbosblog
Thank You