Fintiri, Damagum, Mohammad have sold out PDP – Calculate
• Expresses doubt over PDP’s participation in 2027 presidential polls
Frontline Adamawa politician, Umar Bello Jada also known as Calculate has accused the trio of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Umar Damagum and the chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed of mortgaging the party in their bid to give the ruling party an edge come 2027.
He expressed innate fear that with the way the trio are demarketing PDP, forcing notable members to defect to the ruling party over lost of confidence and faith in PDP, the party may not have the clout to partake in the 2027 general elections a situation that will return Nigeria to a one party state.
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Calculate added that the trio have maintained a tight grip on the jugular of the PDP and running it in the most opaque manner to the extent that other PDP governors were left in the dark making them to look for a soft landing by aligning with the ruling party.
Amidst the confusion and uncertainties facing opposition, Calculate urged Nigerians to wait patiently as Atiku alongside other patriotic Nigerians are working round the clock to stop the trio on their track and drive towards turning Nigeria to a one party state.
Excerpts:
With the renewed commitment of its leadership including governors and other critical stakeholders, PDP said it is working strenuously to reinvent itself so as to serve as a viable vehicle to challenge the dominance of APC in 2027. What is your view of the latest action being adopted by the party’s leadership?
Let me be very plain and frank with you by stating without equivocation or the fear of being misquoted that I’m dead sure PDP may not even contest the 2027 presidential election going by the activities of the three undertakers of the party in the persons of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, the PDP national chairman, Umaru Damagum and the chairman of the PDP governors’ forum and current governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed.
The trio working in cahoots with enemies of the party elsewhere have virtually ran the party aground in a manner that every other party loyalist including governors, senators and other critical stakeholders have been frustrated.
Without consultation, these three elements, in a fit of tyrannical fiat decided that the party will not go into any coalition ahead of the 2027 in order to give the ruling party a run for its money. As I said, this action was taken without the input of many stakeholders including governors which bred ill-feelings, confusion and misunderstanding amongst the ranks of party members.
A number of governors especially those from the south are angered by that position which they have openly challenged based on the fact that it was adopted without their input. If APC is working round the clock and pouching members of other political parties to populate its ranks despite the fact that it is the ruling party, it beggars belief that a struggling party like PDP is shutting its doors to the prospects of coalition and synergy with other parties to oust the APC in 2027. This in itself is a pointer that these people have already mortgaged the party.
We vehemently disagree with the position of the Damagun led PDP which is ostensibly telling us that they are worried with the defection of PDP governors and many other critical stakeholders to the rulling party but at the same time remained lethargic in taking the right action to address the anomaly. If they really meant what they are saying, they would have convened a high powered delegation to reach out to the former Vice President Atiku, Fubara and three other governors that are being rumored to defect soon, to persuade them not to leave the party by assuring them of review of PDP stand on many issue’s including the merger being spearheaded by PDP presidential candidate in 2023. But instead they reached out to Wike to perfect deals on 2027 Tinubu reelection in Lagos.
Right now, dissatisfied PDP members who have lost faith in the party are looking for a soft landing culminating into the defection of the present governor of Delta State with his cabinet alongside the immediate past governor of the state to APC. It is for this reason that other PDP governors including the governor of Akwai Ibom have come out publicly to say they are leaving the party.
In the fullness of time, PDP will become a conquered territory with no viable structure and strength to compete in any contest, such tendency made me to come to the conclusion that PDP may not partake in 2027 presidential election and other elections as it will be rendered moribund and dead before 2027 general election.
And if these people are really out to unite the party, has former governor of Delta State not indicated that Atiku is also on his way out of the party? Considering the standing of Atiku who marshalled over six million votes in the last election, any one who is after the unity and growth of the party would have jumped to pacify him not to leave because that poses a huge danger to the survival of the party.
Again, the governor of Akwa Ibom has also voiced out his frustration and even made a direct threat that he will soon leave the party, why did Bala Mohammed, Fintiri and Damagum refused to meet and pacify him? In the same manner, Fubara is on his way out of PDP to APC following his meeting with Tinubu in London have the trio done anything to stop that?
And to cap it all, what unity of purpose do you think PDP can achieve when Wike, the biggest scourge in the party is still calling the shots? The role Wike played in the defeat of the party in the last election is still fresh on our minds. And Wike who is PDPs antagonist-in-chief did not mince words in saying that he will work against the victory of the party in all elections in the country and yet you believe these people are working for unity of the party? What an arrant nonsense!
After he defected to the ruling party, the immediate past governor of Delta State, Okowa said he took the action after Atiku his principal in the 2023 joint ticket told him that he will also leave the party. Is Atiku also on his way out of the party?
Atiku is still a card carrying member of PDP, but as a patriotic member of the party who wants it’s success, he is working round the clock and talking to Nigerians across party lines to build an impregnable coalition that will lead to the ouster of the APC. And make no mistake, Atiku is taking his time to ensure that a thorough consultation is done with all the stakeholders across every length and breath of the country.
The reason is that he wants to fulfill all righteousness before sealing the deal with like minded politicians across all the major political parties including APC, PDP, Labour Party and the likes. It is on this premise that I will tell you the new coalition is going to hit the ground with a bang and seeing the array of people, its structure and composition, Nigerians will believe that finally a platform with deep grassroot base which boost of array of tested and trusted Nigerians has been birthed and you will see how that action will climax into an unprecedented success.
Some few days back the president was in Katsina where the governor assured him of successful outing come 2027. The statement of governor Radda approximates to a campaign of sorts. At a time when the ruling party has kick started a behind the scene campaign, do you think your coalition has the luxury of time to make a good arrangement to effectively challenge APC in 2027?
The president is gripped by a morbid fear of an imminent defeat which stares him in the face, that is why he started campaign even before reaching his mid term in office. In the last two years, he only gave Nigerians poverty, insecurity, hunger and despair. The other time it was his own son, Seyi that was going out for campaign before it hit the brick wall and crashed because of the outright rejection by Nigerians. Now the president has come out of his shell and commences campaign two years before election, that shows you his level of desperation and it was as a result of his very dismal performance.
I want to tell you with air of authority that Gov Radda will never campaign for Tinubu in 2027 for the fear of his his own political survival. The kind of hunger, debilitating insecurity, poverty wreaking households in Katsina will make it unwise for anyone to embark on the futile mission of marketing Tinubu. If Tinubu could not defeat Atiku in 2023 despite the deployment of religious politics, and hiding under the canopy of Buhari and all sorts of shenanigans, Tinubu will go no where not only in Katsina. The people of the northwest who are worst hit by insecurity, hunger, joblessness and poverty will all come out in their numbers to show Tinubu the way out. And they have the numbers.
What do you make of the success of Tinubu in Southeast looking at the posture of former governor of Abia State, Uzor Kalu who said the region will give the president 70 percent of the votes?
Uzor Kalu is a business man so I believe he is out there to promote his business interests leveraging the support of the federal government. That is why he is doing what he is doing. The major agitation of the region as at now is for the president to release Nnmadi Kanu leader of IPOB.which he has not done.
In history, there is no president that has shown so much hatred and disdain for the Igbo people like Tinubu. It is on record that the former Abia governor, Uzor Kalu took substantial risk of promoting the Muslim – Muslim ticket of Tinubu against popular agitations, yearnings and clamour of his people. He was in the process maligned, abused and rebuked, but he stoutly maintained his posture against all odds. After the president was elected, Kalu made attempt to get the number three position for his support to Tinubu, what happened? The number three position was given to Akpabio a minority showcasing that Igbos have no value before him.
In fact, go and check the records, no Igbo has made it to any prominent position in Tinubu’s government; the president is a Yoruba, Vice president is a Kanuri, Senate president is a minority, Speaker is a Yoruba/Hausa, SGF is a Tiv, chief justice, a Yoruba, chief of staff, Yoruba, NSA and minister of defense are all northerners and ministers of justice and that of finance are all Yoruba’s. With this how do you expect the Igbos to support Tinubu unless may be in the realm of inebriation.
