December 19, (THEWILL) – The National Vice Chairman, South-South of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih, speaks on the national convention of the party, its new national executive, the task of returning the party to the centre in 2023 and the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), among other issues, in this interview with AYO ESAN. Excerpts:
How would you describe the recent national convention of the PDP held amid controversy arising from a court case instituted by former National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus?
It was a very successful national convention. There was no rancour or issues. I think it was the type of convention that all our members were looking forward to. A convention that threw up newly elected officials of the party.
Let me first of all congratulate the new members of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by the National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, who emerged from the convention. Their emergence confirmed that we are prepared to return to power, come 2023.
Most of the new members of the party’s National Working Committee, including the National Chairman, were elected through consensus. How did the leadership achieve this?
Our primary objective is to gain power, especially at the federal level. This because we are conscious of the hardship Nigerians are experiencing under the All Progressives Congress-dominated Federal Government. We decided to play down personal interests and look at the larger picture of what the party should do to save the country. That was what happened. We are all determined to sacrifice our personal interests for the good of all.
Should Nigerians expect a better deal from the new PDP NWC?
I think that is what everybody should look forward to. The newly elected national chairman, Prof Iyorchia Ayu, is expected to make a speech soon and from his speech you should be able to get a message. That is exactly why I would want you to officially cover the inauguration of the new exco and get his message to the good people of Nigeria.
Do you think the PDP is now strong enough to wrest power from APC at the centre in 2023?
What is going for us is that the APC-led Federal Government is helping us to campaign for the next presidential election through their failure to deliver on their campaign promises to Nigerians. You don’t need any other person to tell you what is going on in the country. On the economic front, they have not been able to find a solution to the ever rising exchange rate between the naira and the other foreign currencies. You will agree with me that this is a major issue.
Today, you would also review the general state of our roads, especially the federal roads across the 36 states. It has never been this bad. Those of us in the PDP are already making plans to address these projects that we are going to inherit from the APC-led government. Our roads are bad, insecurity is worsening as people are killed every day. It is no longer safe to travel from one place to another and the government has failed to address this challenge and many others facing the country today. We have lost more citizens than nations that are at war. That is exactly the situation we have found ourselves. So I can tell you that the failure of the present government actually is the spring board for the PDP to come back to power.
Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the PDP to help them solve these problems you have mentioned especially the issue of insecurity, but there is apprehension as to how the PDP can possibly choose its presidential candidate without serious rancour. What do you say to this?
I want to say that it is obvious that individual interests should be push aside in our collective dream of saving this country from the present administration. And from that, you will agree with me that all our members and all our leaders are committed toward the election of the presidential candidate that will fly the flag of our party. Just like you saw during the last convention, we are also going to come out with a united voice to ensure that we choose the candidate that will definitely rescue this nation.
I know you are watching the events in the APC. As of today, there are crises in more than 20 state chapters of the party. Only last week, there was a parallel national exco. Are you surprised about what is happening in the party?
Why should anybody be surprised? The APC to me is not a political party. It is a gathering of disgruntled members of other political parties who came together without a solid plan on how to govern Nigeria. But they came together for the purpose of snatching power from the PDP without any plan on how to exercise that power or improve the welfare of the people. So what you are seeing is APC house of commotion. Nothing can ever work in the APC.
How would you advise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the nation prepares for the 2023 general election?
My advice to INEC is that they should uphold their constitutional role of conducting free and fair elections because they have a major role to play in the nation’s quest for a new and vibrant leadership. They must do that which will go a long way in helping Nigerians get the new leader that they earnestly desired.
What is your message to Nigerians generally as we move towards the general election?
Nigerians should reject the APC in the coming elections and vote the PDP so that they can see a new government that is committed to the development and unity of our country.
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
