– accuses Bode George of masterminding his jail; Secondus, national leadership of neglect
– Salvador should bury his head in shame, Bode George fires back
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chairman in Lagos State, Mr. Moshood Salvador, has dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, APC. However, his former party described his defection as unfortunate.
Salvador, who, on Monday expressed displeasure over the posture of the National Executive of the party towards the state affairs, said that former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Bode George is on a mission to destabilize the PDP in Lagos State.
His words: “When you have people or leadership that cannot give you encouragement to carry out your vision, you take it to another place where it will be appreciated.
“I am not happy that I am abandoning what I laboured for, but I have to move on with my supporters because I cannot continue to labour in vain.
“Today, the chairman of PDP Board of Trustees called me on the defection and I told him to allow me to consult with my people before feedback.
“The PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus also called me for the first time since my travails. He never called since I was put in jail on a cooked up murder charge; he called me today to ask why I want to defect.
“And I told him it is not possible for me to be in the same party with Bode George because he undermined all my efforts to reposition the party.
“He was doing all these things and the national leadership was allowing him, saying he is an elder. Bode George also cooked up things to put me in jail in the murder case of late Aborishade. Enough is enough. I am leaving the party with my supporters and I am taking them to APC where they would be recognised and appreciated.
Bode George reacts
Reacting to Salvador’s comments, Chief George lampooned the former PDP chairman saying he should bury his head in shame.
George said: “He is an infra dig. He said he does not want to be in the same party with me. How can I be in the same party with him? We are not in the same class. If he has any modicum of respect or any modicum of civility, he should bury his head in shame. When he came into the party, he was looking like a frightened jelly in the pond. The comment he made shows he is an infra dig, the statement is insulting, it shows he has no civility and no respect, he is culturally insane. Who brought him to the party?
“He should go and bury his head in the toilet, he is a shameless fellow.”
George had earlier denied instigating the crisis accusing Salvador of planning to sink the ship of the Lagos PDP. He spoke in Lagos while launching a Memorial Trust Fund for the murdered party chairman in Apapa local government area, Prince Adeniyi Aborishade.
He said: “Why is he now trying to turn logic upside down? Why did he not invite the police to the rally? The crisis is in his mindset.
“So, there is no crisis but the greed and thoughtlessness in a man that is at full play.
“To link that up with whether he wants to sink the party to go to the APC, he knows what he is doing. Nobody is stopping him from going to the APC where he must have been assured cover.”
Restating the need for the Police to investigate and arrest those responsible for murdering Mr. Aborishade, he said: “There is something terribly disturbing about our justice system. The rule of law is now being distorted, savaged, abused, treated with contempt, trampled upon with callous indifference.
“The erosion of justice that concerns me today and that should concern all progressive and enlightened citizens is about the dark, brutal and murderous event that took place on July 21st, 2018 at Igbokusu in Lekki when an innocent man, a good spirited human being, a sincere, devoted party stalwart and family man was murdered in broad daylight.
“The murder of Aborishade is no less devastating. The pains are still fresh. The wounds are still raw and bitterly sore. The family of Aborishade has justifiably internationalized this issue. The United Nations Human Rights Commission is being notified. The International Criminal Court at The Hague is equally being addressed to help keep a proper watch on the proceedings.
“We are appealing to the Inspector General of police and the Attorney General of the Federation to set up an impartial Special Investigation Panel to probe vigorously into the circumstances and the culprits and their sponsors that killed Aborishade.”
George said Salvador could not be stopped from leaving as he is an adult and competent enough to make decisions for himself.
He, however, questioned why the erstwhile PDP chairman wanted to leave the party now, especially as Aborishade’s murder case, to which he was earlier linked, had not been resolved.
“You see, whether he is going to APC or wherever, we cannot stop him; he is an adult, not a young man. So, he can decide for himself. But we have a question to ask: Why now?
“I am a deep-rooted politician and as a master mariner, I know you do not jump ship when you are in a stormy weather.
“Or do you swim against the tide? No, you will drown. Now, who is drawing Salvador to come to APC? To get cover or what? No, that will not stop justice for Aborishade,” he said.
On allegations that he was responsible for the friction in the party, George said it was wrong for Salvador to have made the allegations.
He said the PDP Chairman was actually the one running the party like his private estate, causing rancour and unnecessary wrangling in the party..
George said Salvador failed to honour agreements reached on executive offices after the Supreme Court verdict affirming Senator Ahmed Makarfi as National Chairman.
He said then that the party had agreed that 65 per cent of the offices should go to Makarfi’s followers in the state, while 35 per cent should be given to followers of ousted Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff.
“Rather than follow the agreement, he was imposing people as party executives, taking decisions that did not go down with members. He was running the party as if it was his personal estate,” George said.
George said PDP was based on strong democratic foundations and that impunity and indiscipline could not be allowed to reign in the party.
He condemned the violence in which Aborishade was killed, saying the party was saddened by the incident.
George said the party was not satisfied with the handling of the case by the Police in Lagos and called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to set up a special panel to probe the incident.
He said the party would not accept anything other than justice for the slain chieftain and that the party would continue to pursue the case.
George said he was launching the trust fund to raise money for the deceased’s family to support them.
It’s unfortunate he left—PDP
Reacting to the defection, the PDP National Vice Chairman, South West, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, described the move as “rather unfortunate.”
Olafeso said: “I will not say it is a welcome development. It would have been a lot more bearable if Salvador left and there was no death recorded among us. The party will ensure that we do everything possible to bring our people together.”
Also reacting, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Prince Diran Odeyemi said: “It is very unfortunate to lose someone like that. We are not shying away from the fact that we have minor issues in Lagos PDP but now that he has left the party, we urge the other faction, to reconcile and bounce back in Lagos State.
Vanguard/Punch
