- Claims Party now APC’s play toy
- Says we are not saints in ADC
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Less than 72 hours after quitting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, says the so-called Nigeria’s main opposition party has unfortunately become a play toy for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He pointedly said the PDP is no longer a viable opposition having become a department under the Presidential Villa where directives are daily churned out for its operations.
The former lawmaker made the claims on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, and pointedly accused the APC of orchestrating the progressive destruction and collapse of the PDP.
According to him, “PDP has been purchased by APC. PDP is a parastatal of the APC. PDP is a department of the APC. In fact, they take dates for NEC and NWC meetings from the Villa.”
Melaye, who recently defected to the opposition coalition under the aegis of African Democratic Congress (ADC), said, “Just look at the number of governors in the PDP today. Are these governors acting like opposition governors?
“Are they playing opposition roles? Those who are remaining in the PDP are holding fort for the APC.”
Explaining his decision to dump the PDP, the former lawmaker said the Party, as presently constituted lacks the strength to challenge the ruling APC.
For him, it is difficult to excuse PDP’s failure to properly re-calibrate itself and rescue Nigeria from what he considers “the prevailing political cankerworms.”
He further said, “With due respect to my uncle, Babangida Aliyu. You heard him two days ago; he said if we can tolerate Buhari for eight years, then we should tolerate Tinubu for another four years.”
“Is that the voice of an opposition person? So, what I’m telling you, in essence, is we live in precarious times”, Dino queried.
Says We Are Not Saints In ADC
Responding to a question on whether ADC is different from other opposition parties, Dino said, “everybody in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, is not a saint.”
He stated that, “When there is an altar call in church, only those who have conscience and are ready to leave darkness to light respond to altar calls.
“ADC is an altar call. It is a national altar call. And those of us who have conscience, those of who want to see a new order.
“Those of us who want to see a Nigeria where we can answer questions from our grandchildren, when they ask ‘when Nigeria was getting bad, grandpa what did you do about it?”.
Recalled that the former Kogi West Senator had announced his resignation from PDP in a letter dated July 30 and addressed to the PDP Chairman of Ward 1 in Aiyetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The letter read, “This decision has become imperative due to the lack of potency and capacity by the party to deliver the Nigerian people from the prevailing political cankerworms that have eaten deeply into the fabric of our dear nation.”
As a known associate of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Dino Melaye is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)
