…say the centre can no longer hold the umbrella
…say APC brings solution through president Tinubu
By Gloria Ikibah
A former House of Representatives member, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, has attributed the ongoing turmoil in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to its elders and founding members.
Ossai, who represented Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency in Delta State under the PDP in the 9th Assembly, officially joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, he stated that attempts to restore unity in the PDP had failed due to deep-seated ideological and political conflicts. He described the situation as a clash of opposing views, making reconciliation nearly impossible.
He said: “I’ve been with PDP since 1999, and we have tried as much as possible to fix PDP, especially when they have issues of leadership in the past. The National Assembly, who are PDP members tried to strengthen PDP, but I believe today that strengthening has been removed from the hands of the Parliament.
“Among the gladiators who are founding fathers of PDP too, have tried as much as possible to break the umbrella. So the centre cannot hold, and judging from the fact that all political parties in Nigeria are centralists in programmes and policies, there’s no sharp ideological programs that you can say you can separate from each political party today in the country.”
Speaking on why he joined the APC, Ossai said Tinubu is a man with focus and championing great feat. And so he wants to assist in navigating Nigeria into the next promise land.
“People want solution and it is the person who will give solution to the people that you have to converge on. APC gives solution through President Tinubu to the people. That’s why we are converging. Tinubu is the personality that is bringing progressive directions to this generation. So we converge on him.
“We need People who are great leaders, who champion policies that can navigate the country to the promised land. We have had some strong leaders before who could not do it, but today we have a very strong leader that I believe in and that leader is Asiwaju Tinubu.
“I followed him up during the time of SDP in Lagos. I was part of the Abalajobi groups in Lagos, and from the human rights up to SDP. I have seen his leadership style. As a governor of Lagos State, I followed him up. Then, I was a member of the House of Assembly.
“He is somebody I pray that he will continue to succeed and become president of the country. And today he is the president, and he has issued in policies that are germane to sustaining our country, strengthening our country for the future.
“Today, my role model, Asiwaju Tinubu is championing the course for the next generations. And there’s every need for me, to follow my role model who is doing great since the umbrella has been broken, by people who are supposed to mend the umbrella.
“His policies aligns with mine. And I feel that also Delta States will align with such policies, which is currently not happening. And I feel that I can join forces with those of them who have been strongly in APC, in Delta State, to face Delta State.
“I can bet you that APC is going to win Delta State. And not only winning the governorship, but winning the presidential election. And not only win the presidential election, I use my federal constituency as the basis to champion this course.
“You will see the recent program that President Tinubu has been chuning out. You can see what is going on in terms of infrastructure development in different places that have been abandoned over the years. You can also see that currently, a policy came out from the federal government through a policy of Inherit, whereby those people who are having challenges in issues of kidney problems, diabetes, and others.
“You can also see policies on agriculture, where all APC governors are gearing towards agricultural revolutions. And you can see that inflationary rate has dropped in terms of food in the market. You people who go to the market to buy food, you go to buy tomatoes and peppers.
“So, I have come to join APC to assist in navigating Nigeria into the next promised land. I think that’s why I joined APC. Like I said, the entire parties is a centralist party. No sharp ideological program. But we have the capability of implementing this program, and APC stands out. So APC to the next level”, Ossai asserted.