Despite your lies, Nigerians still prefer Buhari, Shittu tells PDP
Adedoja dissociates self from Fresh PDP
The Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, has told the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that despite their lies against President Muhammadu Buhari, many Nigerians still prefer his style of governance.
Barrister Shittu, said this in Ibadan while speaking with newsmen during the 50th birthday ceremony of a PDP chieftain in Oyo State, Engr. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde.
The minister, who said the people of the country were neither fools nor ingrates, would appraise the president when he presented his scorecard.
He said those who drove Nigeria into a mess through corruption and mismanagement during the 16 years of PDP’s misrule were the ones now accusing President Buhari of non-performance.
Shittu, however, told the PDP leaders that Nigerians appreciated the achievements of the President in the areas of the fight against corruption and insurgency and uplifting agriculture, infrastructure, education and employment.
The minister said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would come out to showcase the achievements of the president for Nigerians to compare with those of the PDP that ruled it for 16 years at the appropriate time.
He said, “Nigerians voted for President Buhari because he was the only presidential candidate that could be trusted. The president is running a government devoid of greed and corruption. Although, the work ahead is enormous, I am happy that a lot of positive changes have occurred in the areas of agriculture, education, infrastructure and employment.”
The event was attended by the former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; a former minister of Education, Professor Tunde Adeniran; a former minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, a former first lady in Oyo State, Alhaja Mutiat Olayinka Ladoja, and many other chieftains of the PDP. One of the national chairmanship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the last convention of the party, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, yesterday described the rumour that he was behind the newly formed splinter group under the banner of ‘Fresh PDP’ as false and unreasonable.
He said it was true that he sued the party on the ground that his name was omitted from the ballot papers during the convention but he has not dumped the party for any other.
Adedoja, who spoke while addressing his teeming supporters across the country led by Prince Ibrahim Jalingo, who visited him in his Ikolaba, Ibadan country home, urged the leadership to avoid impunity for the progress of the party.
He said though entreaties were being made by prominent Nigerians for dialogue with him, he needed to consult his followers to decide the way forward.
He said, “I am not a member of the Fresh PDP. My political future is dented with the omission of my name from the ballot papers at the convention and I need to clear it. The struggle to fight for the right thing in the PDP is my contribution to survival of democracy in Nigeria and the PDP as the greatest party in the whole of Africa.”
Adedoja, therefore, urged his supporters to continue supporting the course of the PDP, saying his decision to go to court was not to be controversial but to clear his name which he had been building in both private and public sectors for many decades.
Reacting to Adedoja, the leader of his supporters’ groups, Prince Ibrahim Jalingo, commended him for his steadfastness and commitment to the party, saying they were very happy to know that their boss never thought of dropping the party.