•Kola Ologbondiyan
A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has attributed the recent defections of opposition leaders to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to threats of a witch-hunt by the ruling party.
Last month, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, along with his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, several commissioners, and others, defected from the PDP to the APC.
There is growing speculation that more governors may follow suit in the near future.
Speaking on Channels Television last night , Ologbondiyan stated that the governors and other opposition leaders defecting to the APC are merely seeking refuge to avoid being hounded by the ruling party.
“You must not forget that the former National Chairman of APC told Nigerians that just come over here, we will forgive all your sins, so people are looking for where sins are forgiven,” Ologbodiyan said on the programme.
The former PDP spokesperson, however, maintained that no matter how many opposition leaders the APC manages to attract, the party will still have to contend with millions of Nigerians in its bid to retain power in 2027.
“But you know one thing, at the end of it all, it is going to be about the Nigerians’ position.
“You may pack all the 36 governors and put them in one boardroom and say they should declare for you. Have you packed the over 200 million Nigerians into the same boardroom? The answer is no,” he said.
‘You can’t blame us for your dysfunction’
Responding to Ologbondiyan’s claims on the same programme, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said it was misplaced for the PDP to blame the ruling party for its internal crisis.
“First of all, I am sure that my brother (Kola Ologbondiyan) does not mean a whole lot what he said because he can’t possibly under any guise be blaming the APC for the utter dysfunction and immobility within the internal ranks of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party,” Morka said.
He said that the PDP can’t be blaming the APC for its predicament when the party doesn’t even have a settled national chairman and secretary.
He questioned how a party like the PDP, which he claimed cannot resolve issues surrounding its chairmanship and secretary, can be trusted to lead the country.
