2019, PDP woes influenced APC crisis – Minister
The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Barrister Solomon Dalung, has said that the current crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is largely about the future elections and challenges inherited by President Muhammadu Buhari led administration from the previous Government.
APC has been facing various crises in recent time which led to calls by the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and other party stalwarts calling for the resignation of the party national chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun.
Speaking to journalists at the Party Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, Barr. Dalung called on the party leaders to forget their differences for now, to move the country forward.
He said: “I think we should try and appreciate the chemistry of what is referred to as APC today; APC started as amalgamation of different political groups then graduated into a mass movement and formed government.
“The significant of this was that, this is political system with an embodiment of diverse interests. Now, the management of that interest is very critical, but the challenge the party is facing and the government is that the government itself inherited a situation where it has more challenges of fixing the country, and so nothing or no good attention at all would have trickled down along the line in view of the economic constraints government find itself. That is enough to stir bitterness in the party and this can give birth to crisis”.
The Minister further asserted, “The second perspective is, you could look at the issue that has to do with the future, a politician is very ambitious in everything he does including his steps of movement, he calculates ahead of time. So, it could also be that some politicians had view the future and are already dusting weapon for a political showdown to set the tune of their political ambition”.
The Minister however expressed worries but however called on the APC leaders involved in the crisis to sheath their swords.
“There is no reasonable person in government that will not be worried because the unity of the party is the unity of the government. So we are concerned, our position is to appeal that all those that are involved in the crisis are our leaders and we respect them very much as young people.
“What we expect from them is to bequeath durable legacies not crisis as part of what they intend to bequeath to us. They should be guided by this fact that the younger ones are interested to learn positively from them. Everybody should sheath his sword and appreciate the contribution of re-fixing Nigeria and let the future determine”.
While commenting on the recent defection of the former governor of Plateau State Joshua Dariye, from PDP to APC, Dalung said the action showed that APC has something to offer.
“For us members of the party, it is a thing of great joy and an endorsement of our manifesto as the only credible manifesto that can stand the test of time in Nigeria, we welcome his coming to the APC family and we wish him the best as we journey together in re-positioning Nigeria”, he said.
