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G5 governors not a threat to Atiku, PDP –Kuye

Chief Taiwo Kuye is the deputy director of volunteer and support groups of the Presidential Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State. In this interview with ANAYO EZUGWU, he speaks on the chances of the party ahead of the 2023 general election, why Atiku Abubakar will win the presidential election and opportunities before the party in Lagos State, among other issues

With the presidential election less than 30 days from now, how prepared is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State?

We are prepared for this election and you can see what is happening all over the place with our campaigns and rallies virtually in all the local governments. Our candidates for House of Representatives, Senates, House of Assembly and governorship, everybody is on the field working with very serious energy to see that we claim the expected victory in the state. We rest assured that we are going to win the elections in Lagos State.

The state executive committee of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Lagos collapsed into PDP, what is the implication of such a move?

It is a plus on the side of the PDP because when you have a figure of about 13 people and you are getting about 15 or 20 people more to your side that is a great multiplication. So it is a plus on the side of PDP. More are coming because we are still expecting more political parties to collapse their structures into Lagos PDP before the election. As it stands now, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos are jittery. Did you see them campaign anywhere in the state? No, we have uncovered all their plans on a daily bases, hour-by-hour and we have been standing on it. So, we are working sleeplessly on it. We are very confident about this election in Lagos.

Your governorship candidate is moving from ward to ward in the state, what are the feedbacks you people are getting from the wards?

You can actually see the synergy injected in Lagos PDP this time around. You can see the synergy, energy and tenacity involved now in the party. And I can tell you without missing words that in the history of Lagos PDP right from 1983 after Funsho Williams, we have never had a candidate like Jandor. I stand to be quoted. I stand to be challenged and everybody that has the facts to controvert this position should come out and talk to me. We have never had so good and we have never had such a candidate because nobody after Funsho Williams in 2003, this is the first time God would make it possible for us to have such a candidate. And God just unexpectedly give us this young and intelligent man that possesses vigour, tenacity, energy, experience and everything that is wanted in politics. So, we thank God for giving us Jandor and I repeat, as a founding member of this party, we have never had it so good after Funsho Williams. And secondly, I repeat and I stand to be challenged.

With the belief you have in Jandor, are you not worried that he might return to APC after the general election whether he wins or not?

It can never happen because, by character and training, Jandor is never that kind of a person. He has said goodbye to APC and that is it. He was a tenant in APC but today he is a landlord in PDP. Somebody that came into PDP two months before the primary election and got the ticket. All these things are ‘God win’ for PDP. He got the ticket in the face of old hands numbering about 10 that are at the party. He contested the primary and beat everybody to become our candidate. So, it is God’s work, not Jandor himself. Jandor is not here but I can assure you before God Almighty that Jandor will never one day think of returning to APC. Since he has never that place he has never one day thought of what is called APC.

What are Jandor and the state exco doing to resolve the internal crisis in the party, especially with some elders of the party?

There is no elder that is not part of the campaign and development of the party.

But somebody like Chief Bode George and Ogunkelu are not in support of Jandor candidacy…?

Ogunkelu is part of the system and he is the chairman of the advisory elder’s council of the campaign. What about Chief Bode George? Chief Bode George too is still a leader of the party and so nothing happened. Along that line before the beginning of the convention, you know there must be a crisis but that little crisis has been resolved. As it is today, till tomorrow Chief Bode George is still a leader of the party here in Lagos.

He is still our leader or do you think he has been demoted? You know he was a former military man, he is still carrying that general and he is not yet tired. And that tells you that he is still in the system in Lagos and he is with Jandor. And as I speak to you Ogunkelu and Chief Bode George are still working together. Both of them are our elders and it is unfit for me to say that people who are older than me about 14 years say Baba why are you doing this? So, when they share things in contrast at a point in time they will have a meeting point and everything fades away. But I can assure you now that everything is playing as expected because all hands are on deck.

The elder’s advisory council is working, the presidential campaign council is working, the management council is working, Jandor on his own as a governorship candidate is working and so all organs of the campaign of the party are on the ground and they are working assiduously to see to the victory of PDP in Lagos.

As someone who is involved in the campaign, what is PDP promising Lagosians under Jandor?

We are promising them better lives. I cannot articulate from now if I start because it can take me about six to seven. hours but we promise Lagosians better lives, better housing, good roads, infrastructure and all the common social amenities to human lives like water and every other thing. All the things being promised Jandor, I’m sure he will make it available when he gets to the office.

Do you consider Labour Party a threat in Lagos State in the coming elections?

Labour Party is not a threat to anyone and I have said before that in Lagos it is a Labour Party loss because nothing for them in the state. Labour Party has only one candidate in Lagos and that is the governorship candidate. No House of Representatives, no senate, no House of Assembly and so tell me the percentage of those people that will cast their vote for the party in the state. There is no threat to PDP in Lagos.

Is it possible for PDP to return to power at the centre through Atiku Abubakar?

It is very possible and let me assure you one thing, an Atiku presidency has already been concluded. What is expected from us is to go to the ballot and come back and get the result.

How is that possible?

It is because of our acceptability in all 36 states of the federation. Everybody saw that from all the nooks and crannies of this country, Atiku Abubakar has the widest acceptability compared to other presidential candidates. I don’t what to talk about other candidates but I’m confident Atiku Abubakar is the next president of this country. From the northwest to the northeast, north-central to the southwest and to the South-south, Atiku Abubakar is everywhere.

With what you have said, it is possible for Atiku to get the needed spread of 25 per cent of votes in 24 states considering the fact that the APC candidate is from the southwest and the Labour Party candidate is from the southeast?

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot command the votes in the southwest like before. As it stands now, PDP will win in Osun, Oyo and Ogun states. Those three states are key in PDP winning the region. So, when you now go to Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos, it is 50-50 for PDP and APC. We are going to win confidently in Osun, Oyo and Ogun, so Lagos where Asiwaju lives is 50-50. APC in Lagos already is a dead wood because if you go around Lagos some people prefer not to talk about the party, they are waiting for the voting day to exercise their franchise. And those people are in greater percentage in the state. Out of the seven million voters in the state, those that are shouting for Asiwaju what is their percentage we have the greater support of like-minds that doesn’t even voice out and that are aggrieved about APC misappropriation in Lagos and the personality of Bola Tinubu himself. So all these things put together, when you move around Nigeria, you will see that it is in our favour.

In all these, are you not concerned that the G5 governors will play a role in depleting PDP votes, especially in their states?

The G5 governors I not a threat because they are already dead, so don’t let us go there. I have said before that at particular times these people will crumble. Where are they now, they are already crumbled. They are not a threat.

You don’t think that if they adopt Tinubu as their presidential candidate they will be a force?

It is even impossible for them to adopt Tinubu at this point in time. You see these governors don’t have the political experience to play that kind of politics. Those that have experience with them are not ready to come out and stick their neck. Tell me if, by tomorrow, there will be voting can any of the governors stand up and tell their people not to vote for Atiku or any candidate of their choice? If they try it, they will be stoned. So, where are the workings and experience? So, their threat is baseless. I’m telling you confidently now that Atiku will handsomely defeat Peter Obi in Anambra State.

Why did the National Working Committee of the party exclude the G5 governors in the sanctions they announced recently?

The process is ongoing and it has not ended. You see the people are Wadata are people with brains. So they have fired a salvo and after that salvo, you saw Governor Wike shouting that he is going to approach the court. He is not the one suspended, those that were suspended are from Enugu and Ekiti states. The court will ask him, Mr man what is your concern in this matter. So the process is ongoing but I won’t tell you what will come out of the process.

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