… says ‘he couldn’t wrestle his state constituency from APM.
SPOKESPERSON for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Segun Showunmi, has said the defection of former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, to the ruling All Progressives Congress is painful, regrettable but will not affect the fortune of the party.
He said, ultimately, the Ogun State people would determine the fate of all political parties, including the APC.
Showunmi, who spoke exclusively to THE POINT, complained bitterly about what he described as the disruption of the growth of political parties by the seeming lack of stability and anchor of privileged members of the society who seemed “to wake up in one party, have lunch in another one, and dinner, in yet another one.”
He argued that political parties were the first safe guards to democracy because ideologies were meant to be developed and nurtured within them.
The outspoken PDP man, however, regretted that Daniel’s frequent change of sides gave the indication of gross inconsistency and unreliability.
He noted, “No one man can produce any result; the evidence around Gbenga Daniel, from 2007 to date, does not reflect any phenomenal ability to direct the votes in Ogun State.
“In 2007, we barely got second term; in 2011, he couldn’t deliver the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN); in 2015, he couldn’t help PDP win; and in 2019, in spite of the often trumped-up role he played in the victory of Dapo Abiodun, he couldn’t wrestle his state constituency from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), a barely known party at that time. So where lies the great loss to PDP in all of this than to just say ‘au revoir’, bye bye.”
According to him, the PDP will now close rank and create room for young, competent, capable fresh hands to provide leadership.
On whether the Ogun PDP in its current state could still win an election, even in 2023, Showunmi said, “The election map of Ogun State is made up of persons who have attained the age of 18 and above. Roughly put, this is more than two million people.
“The question the electorate would have to answer is: have they been well served by the APC, with the killings, insecurity, debts, unemployment, general despondency, leadership rudderlessness and excruciating poverty?
“A new agenda of a better vision that connects to them, with clarity of thought on how to get it done is what the PDP will be bringing. Certainly, I do not expect the people to reinforce failure. So, yes. PDP can win.”
On why he chose to remain in the PDP, in spite of his perceived closeness to the former Governor, Showunmi explained, “I’ve always argued with Daniel that philosopher leaders are given to long suffering, consistency and stability. And that is what I never allow our closeness to rob me of.
“He (Daniel) has moved six times and at every point in time, I have remained here with the PDP, always eager to receive him when he comes back. Obafemi Awolowo did not make it his habit in life to jump ship.”
“I do not see, especially now, the compelling argument that is pro-people, that can justify going to join that contraption called APC that I expect to implode anytime from now. They have barely treated those who join them well. I don’t know what Daniel is going to look for,” he added.
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