Gale of defections hitting the
outgoing ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP assumed a serious dimension
yesterday with its former National Chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor visiting
the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Abuja.
Ogbulafor who arrived the
secretariat at about 2:35pm went into a closed door meeting with the APC
national chairman, Chief John Oyegun.
The meeting lasted for about 40
minutes.
It will be recalled that as sitting
PDP national chairman, Ogbulafor scored a first when he boasted in 2008 that
PDP would rule Nigeria for 60 years.
The phrase later became maxim for
the party members even in the last presidential election campaign.
But it was not too long when things
fell apart between the Abia State born politician and President Goodluck
Jonathan consequent upon a statement credited to him before 2011 general
elections that power must remain in the north before 2015.
The statement was seen as an affront
to Jonathan who though was serving out the term of his former boss,late
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua also haboured ambition for 2011.
Ogbulafor was later forced to resign
and later faced the court for several years over some charges of financial
embezzlement. He was only freed on October 2, 2014 by the court that eventually
quashed the case.
Since then Ogbulafor who had also
been National Secretary of PDP, Minister in the government of ex-President
Olusegun Obasanjo had remained silent, almost politically idle and out of news
until yesterday when he visited APC leadership.
Coming out of the APC office,
Ogbulafor was accosted by Journalists who enquired the reason for his mission
at the opposition camp.
Responding, Ogbulafor said he was at
the secretariat to congratulate APC national chairman for “a job well done”.
The brief interview between Ogbulafor and Journalists ran thus:
We are surprised you are here sir?
I just came back into town yesterday
and I came to congratulate the national chairman of APC for a job well done.
Don’t you think some of your party
members in PDP, might read meaning into this?
How can they feel offended? I am
still in PDP.
Are you considering joining APC?
Not yet. Even if I will, not yet.
How do you feel about General
Buhari’s victory at the poll?
I am very happy.
But we recall that you were the one
who said PDP will rule Nigeria for 60 years?
Yes I said so. But when they
dismantled governors forum, what do you expect?
But you are coming to associate with
APC?
I am a Nigerian.
Will it not be treated as anti-party
activity by your party?
I am a Nigerian. APC has produced
the president of this country and I have to congratulate him for job well done.
Are you still in PDP?
Why not?
How would you describe the election
in Abia, your home state?
When they conclude it you will get
the result.
How soon will you be joining APC?
I have been National Chairman,
National Secretary and Minister. I will remain in PDP until it becomes
necessary to make a change.
Meanwhile, every effort to get a
word from APC National Chair, Oyegun who also emerged shortly after Ogbulafor
exited the arena yielded no result as he jumped into his waiting Jeep, beaming
smiles, clearly dodged questions from newsmen.
But the APC Deputy National
Chairman, South, Engr. Segun Oni offered to speak to Journalists with regards
to Ogbulafor’s visit to the secretariat. Also, the interaction ran thus:
We just saw the former National
Chairman of the PDP around and we learnt that he had fruitful discussion with
APC leadership. I saw him, but I think it is a private visit he came for. Don’t
forget, the National Chairman is his friend and some of us are also his
friends.
Does it have anything to do with him
joining the APC?
I don’t think it has anything to do
with him coming to the APC.
Won’t you be happy if he joins the
APC?
Of course, we will be very happy if
he comes to the APC, but that is not the purpose of his visit.
But his presence here will create
room for speculations?
He came to visit his friend and to
congratulate us. That is the way politics should be played. Even if he were
still the National Chairman of PDP and he comes here to congratulate our
national chairman and meet some of us his friends, that will be good politics.
I am looking forward to our friend, the National Chairman of PDP visiting us
here to say congratulations. As politicians, we must salvage this process
called politics. We must rescue it from charlatans. We must give it a colour of
decency, we must give it a colour of maturity. I will expect that even if he
does not have time to visit us now, he should send us a letter.
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