“PDP Will Collapse When I Assume Office” — Oshiomhole

In an interview with Vanguard, the immediate past governor of Edo State and aspirant for the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has outlined how he will use his negotiating prowess as a unionist to bring harmony to the party.

On why he thinks he is the best man for the job when the party is in crisis?

I am very familiar with the dreams, missions and visions of the founders of this party because I was one of them. And I am convinced that I have what it takes to provide leadership and build on the foundation laid by the first chairman, Chief Bisi Akande who did a marvellous job. So I think for a political party that is determined to be in power, you need a solid structure to achieve it and God used Bisi Akande and other leaders such as President Buhari, Asiwaju, and others to achieve that. Chief Oyegun came in to contribute his quota to build on that foundation and four years later, we have the opportunity to contest for that office believing that we can help to reinvent and refocus the party in a way that it will be a strong pillar to support governments elected on its platform at the local, state and federal levels. My hope then, is that my task will be to try to begin to help everyone not only to understand the essence of progressive politics, the ideology that it represents, but start the process of building a party that in the very nearest future, Nigerians should be able to stop the debate about whether or not there is a difference between one party and the other. And to be honest, it is a huge challenge to try to make the distinction, which is why people say they don’t know the difference between one party and the other. And of course, the ease with which people cross carpet also raises the issue of whether there are fundamental ideological differences. I think the danger of not having ideology-based political parties is that party contestation is then driven by religion and ethnicity which is very, very dysfunctional as long as managing the affairs of a state is concerned. Unless we act proactively, to get serious and organise parties based on ideology, these other forces will crowd out the political class and politics will be very injurious, and national unity will be weakened, and that will be a danger to our future. So I am clear as to what my task will be. Are you not worried you are gunning for the position at a time when people are threatening to leave your party, and some have even left? It is also important to say that we have even expanded the house of APC. Many, many people have decamped from PDP to APC after the formation of the party in 2014 and even after the last elections. So I think we have lost few, we have gained more, and I believe there are many who will come maybe after I assume office, God willing, if I win. At least based on my conversations with people, PDP is happy with some of the problems, but that party will collapse completely when I come in by God’s grace. However, that does not mean that we don’t have a problem.